The Integration of Technology in a Decentralized Curriculum Setting: The Case of
English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Instruction in Gorontalo, Indonesia
A dissertation presented to
the faculty of
The Gladys W. and David H. Patton College of Education and Human Services
of Ohio University
In partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree
Doctor of Philosophy
Karmila Machmud
June 2011
© 2011 Karmila Machmud. All Rights Reserved. 2 This dissertation titled
The Integration of Technology in a Decentralized Curriculum Setting: The Case of
English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Instruction in Gorontalo, Indonesia
by
KARMILA MACHMUD
has been approved for
the Department of Teacher Education and The Gladys W. and David H. Patton College of Education and Human Services by
Ginger Weade
Professor of Teacher Education
Renée A. Middleton
Dean, The Gladys W. and David H. Patton College of Education and Human Services 3 Abstract
MACHMUD, KARMILA, Ph.D., June 2011, Curriculum and Instruction
The Integration of Technology in a Decentralized Curriculum Setting: The Case of
English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Instruction in Gorontalo, Indonesia
Director of Dissertation: Ginger Weade
This qualitative research explored the issues and challeges in teaching English as
Foreign Language (EFL) in Gorontalo, Indonesia, from two main cases. First is the implementation of the Kurikulum Tingkat Satuan Pendidikan (KTSP) in EFL
Instructions; second is the integration of technology in EFL instruction.
This research utilized interviews, observations, and document analysis as the instruments in data collection. The participants consisted of four EFL teachers, three EFL faculty members, and two administrators, representing four schools, one university, and one college in Gorontalo City, where this research was conducted.
In the case of the implementation of KTSP in EFL instruction, findings indicate that EFL teachers in Gorontalo face challenges in implementing KTSP due to lack of understanding about the new curriculum. Their challenges are exacerbated by the limited access to the educational facilities in Gorontalo, which are a consequence of the unequal spread of development in Indonesia. Professional development training workshops that focus on increasing the teachers’ knowledge and increasing the supervising functions are recommended to help minimize those challenges.
Regarding the case of the integration of technology in EFL teaching, findings indicate that the availability of technology was not the only challenge in integrating technology in EFL instruction. Preparing teachers to understand how to use the 4 technology in EFL teaching was also one of the challenges they faced. Therefore, in addition to providing more appropriate technology in the classroom, it is also highly recommended that the teachers be given the technical training and professional development to implement new technology in EFL Instruction.
Approved: ______
Ginger Weade
Professor of Teacher Education 5
I dedicate this work to my little angel, Zidniy Ilma Hasan, and to my husband and my best friend, Jhems Richard Hasan, who is always supportive,
loving, and patient. Thanks for being who you are. I love you. 6 Acknowledgments
I was blessed with many positive influences in this educational journey.
Therefore, my deep gratitude goes to Dr. Ginger Weade, my academic advisor, who provided me with continuous, pertinent, and much-needed input and support to help me decide the path for my educational journey at Ohio University. I would also want to express my appreciation to her, for serving as my committee chair, and for her patience, encouragement, guidance, useful advice, and detailed input throughout the process of completing my dissertation.
I want to express my profound appreciation and gratitude to my committee member, Dr. Joan McMath, for her continuous efforts to help and support me in finishing my study, and Dr. George Johanson, for his invaluable guidance in methodology procedures. My special thank to Dr. Greg Kessler, who inspired me to write this dissertation. His encouragement, the knowledge he shared, and above all, his approachable manner, motivated me to finish my study.
My deep gratitude goes to AMINEF (American Indonesian Education
Foundation), IIE (Institute of International Education), and Fulbright Presidential
Scholarship, for giving me such an increadible opportunity to study in the United States. I would not be able to earn my doctorate degree in the US without their valuable assistance.
I want to thank the faculty members and staff of the Gladys W. and David H.
Patton College of Education and Human Services, who helped me in many ways. My 7 special thank to Ramona Mott for always ensuring that everything went smoothly when it came to paperwork.
I would also like to thank all the staff in the Center for International Collection in
Alden Library: Jeff Ferrier, Jeff Shane, Araba Dawson-Andoh, Lucy Conn, Edie Luce, and Nancy Story, for giving me an opportunity to work and to learn many valuable lessons while I was working there.
I was blessed that in the final year of my study at Ohio University, I was given an opportunity to work with wonderful people at the Ohio University Child Development
Center. My deepest thank to Cathy Waller, the director, and Terry Swank, the assistant director, for welcoming me to their environment, and making me a part of the OUCDC family. Thanks for all the knowledge and deep understanding. God bless their kind hearts.
I want also to thank all the staff and children of the OUCDC for the valuable lessons I learned while I was working there.
I am also blessed that I am surrounded by friends and families here in Athens.
Thanks to all my PERMIAS (The Indonesian Students Association) friends, their presence made my life easier to go through each day. Thanks to Dr. Elizabeth Collins,
Mr. Yojo Suryana and family, Mr. Amin Fauzi and family, Adila Prasodjo, Dr. Elizabeth
Ngumbi, Eny Winarti, Asih Ernawati, Dr. Keng We Koh, Sony Karsono and wife, Lina
Himawan and husband, Dyah Arinigtyas H. P., Lisa and Sarah Salleh, Anton Wiranata,
Preston Silvey, Erik Hookom, Debra Rayford, Bill and Mary Brennan, Mica Bareto
Soares. To all friends and families in Athens that I could not mention one by one, my 8 sincere appreciation for your endless encouragement and support that allowed me to finish my study in Ohio University.
I would especially like to thank my mother, who is impatiently waiting for me to finish this study. I thank her for encouraging and supporting me and for her sacrifice in making me what I am now. My deepest thanks to my beloved husband, Jhems Richard
Hasan, who patiently encouraged me to finish my study, and reminded me when it was time to write and when it was times to take a deep breath. I thank him for his unconditional love and sacrifice. His love made me strong enough to go through much of my doctoral study. I save my greatest thanks to my sweetheart, my beautiful and smart daughter, Zidny Ilma Hasan. I thank her for kissing me when I was tired of writing. Her laughter gave me strength and joy. I look forward to the beginning of my next journey in life with her and her father.
9 Table of Contents
Page
Abstract...... 3
Dedication...... 5
Acknowledgments...... 6
List of Tables ...... 14
List of Figures...... 15
Chapter 1: Introduction...... 16
Background of Study...... 16
The Decentralization of Education in Indonesia...... 20
English as Foreign Language (EFL) Instruction in Indonesia...... 23
The Use of Technology in Language Learning ...... 25
Problem Statement ...... 27
Significance of the Study...... 28
Limitation of the Study...... 29
Delimitation of Study ...... 30
Definition of Terms...... 30
Chapter 2: Literature Review...... 33
The Geographical and Physical Conditions of Indonesia...... 33
The Impact Socio-Cultural Context on Education...... 35
The Political Context in Indonesia and Its Impact on the Education System...... 36
The Evolution of Curriculum in Indonesia...... 39
Decentralization of Curriculum Planning in Indonesia...... 44 10 Kurikulum Berbasis Kompetensi (KBK) ...... 47
Kurikulum Tingkat Satuan Pendidikan (KTSP) ...... 50
Implementation of KTSP in EFL Teaching...... 54
Technology Integration in Classroom Learning ...... 56
Technology Integration in Language Learning...... 57
Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) in EFL Instructions...... 59
Efficiency in Assessing Student Learning...... 59
The Cost of Providing Course Materials...... 60
Access to Interaction with Authentic Audience...... 61
Promote Independent Learning...... 61
Facilitate Individual Differences...... 62
Level of Confidence in Using Technology...... 62
Importance of Adequate Technology Preparation ...... 63
The Integration of CALL in Curriculum...... 65
Chapter 3: Methodology...... 70
The Researcher...... 70
The Participants...... 72
Procedures...... 73
Recruitment of Participants...... 73
Confidentiality...... 77
Data Collection...... 78
Approach...... 79
Data Collection Instruments...... 82 11 Interview...... 83
Observation...... 85
Document Analysis...... 87
The Time-line...... 89
Data Analysis ...... 91
Assemble the Raw Case...... 93
Construct the Case Report...... 94
Write a Final Case Study Narrative...... 94
Chapter 4: Findings and Discussions ...... 95
Participants’ Background and Professional Roles ...... 95
The Interview Setting and context ...... 101
Data Analysis Process ...... 104
Implementing KTSP in EFL Instructions...... 105
Training and Professional Development...... 116
Access to Instructional Resources...... 121
Integration of Technology in EFL Instructions ...... 122
Definition of Technology...... 122
Participants’ Prior Experience Using Technology...... 123
Familiarity with the Use of Technology...... 126
Problems Integrating Technology in the Classroom...... 127
Schools’ Priority...... 127
Human Resources...... 129
Availability of Technology...... 131 12 Language Labs vs. Computer Labs...... 133
Multimedia Room...... 134
Perspectives Toward the Use of Technology in Language Teaching...... 135
Perspectives Toward the Future Use of Technology...... 136
Providing Technology Equipment ...... 138
Other Findings...... 140
Chapter 5: Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations...... 142
The Issues and Challenges of Implementing KTSP in Gorontalo ...... 142
Decentralization of Education System in Indonesia...... 143
Willingness to Improve...... 145
Issues and Challenges of Technology Integration in EFL Teaching In Gorontalo..... 146
Recommendations ...... 148
Training and Workshops...... 148
More Involvement of University and Colleges...... 150
Supervision...... 150
Integrating Technology in Teacher Education Curriculum...... 152
Recommendation for Further Research...... 153 13 References...... 155
Appendix A: IRB Form...... 166
Appendix B: Interview Topics...... 167
Appendix C: Observation Sheet...... 169
Appendix D: Sample of Interview Transcript and Translation...... 170
Appendix E: Summary of Data of the Integration of technology...... 194
14 List of Tables
Page
Table 1.1: Centralized Curriculum Planning vs. Decentralized Curriculum Planning.. 22
Table 2.1: The Difference between Curriculum 1994 and KBK...... 46
Table 3.1: Interview Participants ...... 73
Table 3.2: Data Collection Timeline...... 89
Table 4.1: Summary of Participants Background and Professional Roles...... 97
Table 4.2: The Interview and Observation Setting ...... 102
Table 4.3: Teachers’ Responses on the Topics of Implementation of KTSP...... 106
Table 4.4: Available Technology in Schools...... 132
15 List of Figures
Page
Figure 1: Location of Gorontalo Province in Indonesia...... 17
Figure 2: Map of Indonesia...... 34
Figure 3: Interview and Observation Schedule...... 90
16 Chapter 1: Introduction
The goal of this research is to investigate and understand the issues and challenges surrounding teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in Gorontalo,
Indonesia. This investigation will lead to two main points of focus. The first is on the implementation of the newest curriculum, Kurikulum Tingkat Satuan Pendidikan (KTSP), or School-Based Level Curriculum, and the second is on the integration of technology in
EFL teaching. Both are keys for enhancing the quality of EFL teaching in Gorontalo, which in turn will promote students’ motivation and increase their achievement in learning English.
This chapter begins with the background of this study, including an overview of the Gorontalo province, and the important roles of the English language in the province’s development. An overview of the evolution of the curriculum changes in Indonesia, and how these affect EFL instruction in less privileged areas in Indonesia, follows the overview of the province. A brief introduction of technology use in language learning then follows this section. Discussion of the problem statement is followed by a presentation of the research questions. The significance, limitations, and delimitations of this study are also presented in this chapter. Finally, an explanation of the terms used throughout this dissertation ends this chapter.
Background of Study
Gorontalo is one of the newest provinces of Indonesia, and is located on the northern part of Sulawesi Island known as the Minahasa Peninsula. Gorontalo was established in December 2000 after splitting from North Sulawesi province. 17
Figure 1. Location of Gorontalo Province in Indonesia
The Province’s area stretches almost horizontally on the map, with a total area of
12,215.44 km2 (4,716.41 sq mi). The province borders North Sulawesi province on the eastern side, and with Central Sulawesi province on the western border. The Sulawesi
Sea and the Gulf of Tomini are toward the northern and southern parts of the province, respectively. The Topography of the province is 0—40o, with an elevation ranging 0—
2,400 m (7,874.02 ft) above sea level. The coastline length is more than 590 km
(366.61 mi). The total sea area of the province is more than 50,500 km2 (19,498.16 sq mi). There are about 67 small islands that have been identified and named around the northern and the southern part of the province (Gorontalo-Provinsi Agropolitan, 2006).
The population of the Gorontalo province has grown from 840,000 in the 2000 census to 1,038,590 in the 2010 census. Nearly half of this population resides in
Gorontalo City (Biro Pusat Statistik Gorontalo, 2010).
18 The need for mastering English as a foreign language in Gorontalo became significant due to the fast growing development of this new province. There are many opportunities opening in economics, politics, social and culture, tourism, and most importantly in the field of Education; all of which require the mastery of English.
The geographical position of Gorontalo is strategic from an economic point of view because it is located in the axis of a growth economic zone, between two integrated economic regions: The Batui region of the Central Sulawesi province including Manado and Bitung regions of the North Sulawesi province. This strategic position makes
Gorontalo become the transit area of any commodities from and to those regions. The flows of trading goods between those regions have a positive impact on the economic growth in Gorontalo province. In addition, Gorontalo is located in the mouth of the
Pacific Ocean facing Korea, Japan, and South America. This advantageous geographical position brings good opportunities for the growth of trade in the Gorontalo province.
Since becoming a new province, Gorontalo has also become a new attraction to foreign investors especially for agribusiness and fisheries. The learning and mastering of English is especially important in order to seize every opportunity offered by the investors for the sake of economic development in Gorontalo province.
Indonesia and foreign countries recently started to notice Gorontalo with its own unique characteristics in language, culture, and natural resources that are different from the North Sulawesi province, which Gorontalo used to be one of its regencies. To promote its culture and tourism destinations, the officials of Gorontalo often attended and were invited to international cultural fairs in foreign countries, such as Australia, 19 Netherland, and the United States. This international involvement could not be accomplished without the mastery of English as the main communication tool.
In the field of education, there are plenty of opportunities to study abroad. Many scholarships are offered to study in developed countries, such as the Fulbright Foreign programs, the Ford Fellowship program, and the USaid program, to study in the United
States; also, the Australian Development Scholarship to study in Australia, the Stunned
Scholarship to study in the Netherlands; the D.A.A.D to study in Germany; and the
Monbukagakuso to study in Japan, just to mention a few. All of these scholarships, fellowships, and grants require a certain level of English proficiency to apply for them.
With the fast development of information technology, the doors to study and work in an international environment are wide open. Moreover, much like the provinces located in the eastern part of Indonesia, students from Gorontalo have a privilege of having better chances to be awarded a scholarship, fellowship, or a research grant. Due to the inequality in access to education between the provinces in the western and eastern part of
Indonesia, scholarship agents offer more opportunities to applicants from the eastern part of Indonesia. English, as the international language, is significantly needed in order to attain these opportunities. Thus, increasing the quality of English teaching in Gorontalo and Indonesia in general is undoubtedly necessitated and very important at this time.
The quality of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teaching is important to increase students’ mastery of the language. Thus, the curriculum design should support both students’ needs as well as the local needs for English language use. Unfortunately, the frequent changes of the national curriculum in Indonesia have slowed the improvement of EFL teaching in Gorontalo. 20 The Decentralization of Education in Indonesia
Prior to the collapse of the New Order Government in Indonesia, the political system in Indonesia was highly centralized. All ministries exercised full authority in making policies based on the State Development Guidelines formulated by the people’s general Assembly. Their subordinate offices in 27 provinces, including East Timor prior to their independence in 1999, implemented the guidelines under their supervision. In this case, the ministry of Education and Culture was no exception. As part of this system, the education management was also highly centralized, where all policies were made in
Jakarta and the Regional Offices of Education were merely the policy implementers
(Madya, et al., 2007). Since the educational needs vary from province to province due to environmental differences and socio-cultural diversity, many policies from the central government were difficult to implement effectively. Moreover, people were often disappointed due to the fact that their true needs were not fully taken into consideration by policy makers.
Following the release of the Regional Autonomy Laws, the Indonesian National
Education Department also released a guideline for the implementation of a decentralization of education at the local school level (Yuwono, 2005). In the decentralized system, authority to provide early childhood, primary, and secondary education is delegated to the districts/cities, while the provision of higher education remains under the direct supervision of the Ministry of National Education.
The implication of the decentralization in education means wider autonomy was given to districts/cities to manage education based on their own potentials and needs. The heterogeneous conditions of Indonesian people, involving a plurality of cultures, 21 customs, ethnicities, and language, results in different levels of readiness in each district/city in terms of implementing the decentralization in education. Problems have emerged from the lack of trust by the central government of district/city governments to manage their own curriculum, in consideration of their needs and substandard conditions
(Hasbullah, 2006). This situation accelerates an increase in unemployment caused by the irrelevancies between the curriculum and the needs of each district/city.
At the beginning of 2004, to address the problem above, the government introduced a new curriculum called KTSP: Kurikulum Tingkat Satuan Pendidikan (School-based
Level Curriculum). The implementation of this new curriculum started in 2006. KTSP is basically an improvement of the previous curriculum, Kurikulum Berbasis Kompetensi
(KBK) or Competence-Based Curriculum, which was the pioneer of the decentralization of curriculum planning in Indonesia in 2004.
The differences between curriculum in a centralized education system and in a decentralized education system can be viewed from three major aspects as shown in
Table 1.1. They are as follows: the authority to design and develop the curriculum, the instructional approach, and the management of content (Zainuddin, 2008). 22
Table 1.1
Centralized Curriculum Planning vs. Decentralized Curriculum Planning
Aspects Centralization Decentralization
Development authority The authority to design and Central government only
develop curriculum were develops the standard of
owned by central government. competencies, while the
Local governments were given elaboration of competencies
20% portion to develop the is given to local schools.
curriculum
Instructional approach Using content-based approach Using competence-based
approach
Content management The material, time schedules, The material, time
and program structure did not schedules, and program
exist. structure exist
Table 1.1 shows three major aspects of the difference of the curriculum development in the setting when it was highly centralized and when it was shifted to decentralized educational system. In a centralized curriculum setting, the curriculum was developed by the central government. Even though the local governments were given a
20% portion to develop the curriculum, it was considered insufficient to accommodate schools’ potential and needs, students’ needs and level of ability, and the local society. 23 School-based curriculum places greater professional autonomy in the schools and on the teachers. In Indonesia, the curriculum is designed collaboratively by teachers, principals, administrators, and also involves the input of local stakeholders in education.
KTSP provides broader authority to schools to work more actively with their communities, while at the same time it requires more leadership, professionalism, initiative, innovation, and creativity from principals and teachers. It is hoped that, decentralization at the local school level could lead to improvements in schools’ performance. By providing greater autonomy, schools have more opportunities to match the services delivered with the students’ needs, to encourage greater parental and community involvement, and to create more participation in the decision-making process
(Depdiknas, 2003a).
English as Foreign Language (EFL) Instruction in Indonesia
The decentralization of education also significantly affects the curriculum area of
English language instructions. This change creates some major challenges. The first challenge is that there are insufficient human resources in almost all schools. A major problem that contributes to the continuing problems of EFL teaching in Indonesia is that many teachers lack English proficiency (Dardjowidjojo, 2000). In a highly centralized curriculum setting, English teachers became accustomed to having all of the decisions made for them in terms of curriculum. Now, it is quite a challenge for teachers to design their own EFL curriculum. The second challenge is that there are less resources available in the under privileged areas of Indonesia. For example, there are fewer classrooms and teachers to teach English. English textbooks and additional educational facilities to support the EFL instruction are often not provided. This deficit poses another challenge 24 for EFL teachers in designing new EFL curriculum. To further complicate matters, there is a lack of comprehensive understanding about the concept, design, and practice of a school-based curriculum.
Other distinctive problems in EFL teaching in Indonesia in both the old centralized and the new decentralized education systems are: first, there is only limited time allocated for teaching English. One hundred minutes, once a week, is just not enough to build students’ language skills. Second, there is an imbalance of emphasis among the four language skills, listening, reading, speaking and writing. The EFL curriculum in
Indonesia does not foster in students the acquisition of the four language skills equally because it is highly focused on grammar. Consequently, speaking and writing skills are often neglected. Third, there is a lack of available learning materials and opportunity for exposure to authentic tasks, which is exacerbated by little to no social interaction in
English outside of the classroom (Musthafa, 2001). These problems are even worse in some of the less privileged areas of Indonesia, where English instruction is still far below the national education standard, particularly in isolated areas with resource-poor schools.
These problems are the consequence of the unequal spread of development in Indonesia, which results in an inequality in opportunities for access to educational facilities and qualified teachers.
The implementation of the new curriculum requires teachers to design their own materials but they obviously need resources to be able to design them. Unfortunately, unequal access to educational resources and information has placed a heavy burden on the teachers in Gorontalo to achieve this task. However, with the fast growth of the
Internet use, these many challenges can possibly be addressed, yet, it requires EFL 25 teachers to be literate in the new technologies. This new form of literacy has the potential to help minimize the challenges and alleviate some of the problems.
The Use of Technology in Language Learning
There is a tremendous amount of research on the use of technology in language learning. Most of the studies suggest that the use of technology can help to minimize the many problems faced by EFL teachers (Brinton, 2001; Drenoyianni & Selwood, 1998;
Galloway, 1997; Egbert, Paulus, & Nakamichi, 2002, Kessler, 2005; Hegelheimer, V,
2006; O’Connor & Gatton, 2004).
The use of technology is a promising solution to the many challenges faced by EFL teachers. With the fast growing use of the Internet, there are sources for information now available covering virtually all aspects of life. This positive development will narrow the gaps in access to education, particularly between the educators in Gorontalo and in Java
Island, which is the center of industrial development as well as the center of government, and who are responsible for keeping up with new information, especially with the implementation of the new curriculum.
To benefit from technology in an optimal way for educational practice, a number of aspects should be considered, including the technological infrastructure and the teachers as the front liners in implementing new curriculum (Erkan, 2003). The use of technology, per se, is influenced by external environmental factors and teachers’ characteristics (Teo,
Chai, Hung, & Lee, 2008). These studies show that the limited use or absence of technology use in education is also affected by a lack of both knowledge and skills as well as by a lack of adequate and sufficient technological equipment (Chou, 2003).
The Indonesian government has gradually invested in a number of public schools 26 by providing computers and Internet access during the implementation of the new curriculum. This is due to the fact that in recent years, providing technological equipment and access requires less financial resources compared to the past several years, thus the use of technology is spreading at a faster rate (Newhouse & Rennie, 2001).
Unfortunately, in most schools in Gorontalo, the technology that has been provided is mainly used for school administrative work, and has not been used in an instructional context. Teachers, who have been the central agents in the utilization of any reform-based education including the curriculum and technology integration reforms, should ideally have a positive perspective towards any reformation in the educational system. Arslan
(2003) further argues that a school with adequate technological access and equipment may not succeed in providing technology supported instruction, if teachers are not willing to use it and do not have a positive attitude toward the use of technology in their teaching.
Since learning that technology can address the problems of EFL teaching, it remains unclear as to why EFL teachers in Gorontalo have not integrated technology into their teaching, considering that after the introduction of the new curriculum, the government has gradually invested in providing computers and Internet access in a number of public schools in Gorontalo. While the use of technology is believed to increase student achievement in the area of language skill acquisition, the question remains whether teachers are using new technology in classroom instructions, and whether they believe it will help them increase the quality of EFL instructions. Studies conducted on teacher characteristics including perceptions, beliefs, and attitudes indicate the understanding of what motivates teachers to integrate technology in their teaching
(Arslan, 2003). Issues related to providing a sound technological infrastructure in school 27 have faded out as the cost has become more affordable in recent years. The teacher factor is yet to be resolved, thus there is a pressing need for educational researchers, teachers, curriculum developers and stakeholders to promote this educational reform.
Problem Statement
Bewilderment and perplexity faced by EFL Indonesian teachers color the implementation of KTSP in Gorontalo. Teaching English has always been a challenge for
English teachers and English faculty members in Gorontalo. The limited access to information and educational facilities are among the challenges faced by EFL teachers in
Gorontalo when their aim is to increase the overall quality of English instruction in there.
The frequent changes in the general curriculum that accompany each successive government exacerbate these challenges. Teachers in Gorontalo are facing a lack of understanding about the implementation of each new curriculum due to the fact that before one curriculum has been well established, it has already undergone a change to another curriculum. Confusion and frustration has been inevitable under these circumstances.
With its advantageous geographical position that brings many opportunities in the fields of economy, culture, tourism, and education, Gorontalo still faces the fact that the levels of English proficiency in that province are below the national standard. Thus, the major challenge for EFL teachers in Gorontalo is to increase the quality of EFL teaching, even though the role of the national curriculum continues to significantly affect the EFL curriculum in a new ways. In a positive light, the development of the use of technology in
English Language Learning maximizes the opportunities and alleviates some of the problems faced by EFL teachers. 28 With the above considerations, the research questions to be addressed in this study are as follows:
• What are the issues and challenges surrounding the implementation of KTSP in
EFL instruction in Gorontalo, Indonesia?
• What are the issues and challenges surrounding the integration of technology in
EFL instruction in Gorontalo, Indonesia?
Significance of the Study
The findings in this study will provide new information concerning the issues and challenges faced by EFL teachers in the implementation of KTSP, and in the integration of technology in EFL instructions in Gorontalo. This information will be useful to EFL teachers, faculty members, school administrators, and government authorities. For EFL teachers, the result of this research will serve as a reflection and aid in understanding their own issues and challenges; they will also be provided with a clearer picture of the issues and challenges discussed by other participants in this research. The findings of this research can also be the means for teachers to have their voices heard by the school administrations and government authorities concerning the issues and challenges that need to be addressed in order to increase the quality of EFL teaching in Gorontalo.
The conclusions in this research will help to understand the complex issues and difficult challenges involved in the implementation of KTSP and the integration of technology in EFL instructions. By having a better understanding of these issues and challenges, basic solutions can be formulated to overcome the problems, which will inevitably enhance the quality of EFL teaching and learning in Gorontalo, Indonesia. 29 Limitation of the Study
Identifications of possible limitations in the study are provided in order to identify the potential weaknesses of the study, even though it is often difficult to identify the weaknesses in a study before it has begun (Creswell, 2003). Nonetheless, it can be argued that the purposive sampling procedure used in this study reduces the generalizability of the findings. The findings in this study will not be generalizable to all EFL teachers in
Indonesia. However, there is a potential for replication of this study in other settings. For instance, the same research questions might be adopted or adapted for use in other settings. Also the interview protocol and the approach for observing technology and technology use in classrooms may be replicated.
Another potential limitation of this research is the lack of representation of EFL teachers from remote areas in Gorontalo. Despite the fact that information from teachers in remote locations would be valuable in the finding of this research, it is extremely difficult to reach them in a reasonable amount of time. Furthermore, because financial compensation for participating in this research cannot be offered, it is almost impossible to ask them to meet at a central location for the interview, due to the costs for them to travel.
The limited time available for conducting this research has also become one of the weaknesses of this research. Having less than one month to collect the data was not enough time, considering the setting of this research was in Gorontalo, Indonesia and I am in the United States. As a Fulbright grantee, I was only given less than thirty days out of the United States to conduct the data collection. Even though the preparation and the 30 actual time to collect the data was precisely planned, some important information was not collected due to the time constraints.
Delimitation of Study
In the field of educational research, delimitation is used to narrow the scope of a study (Creswell, 2003). This study will focus on the investigation of the issues and the challenges involved in the implementation of KTSP and the integration of technology in
EFL instructions in Gorontalo, Indonesia. Further, the methods used in this study will be limited to interviews with EFL teachers and other related participants, in order to observe the presence of technology in EFL instruction, examining both the availability of technology equipment and the use of technology in schools. In addition, this study also examined documents provided by the participants regarding the requirements for the implementation of the new curriculum, KTSP, in the province of Gorontalo, Indonesia.
Geographically, Gorontalo province consists of one city and six regencies.
Considering the allotted time and other relevant circumstances, this study was only conducted in one of the six parts of Gorontalo province, which encompasses the
Gorontalo City.
Definition of Terms
1. BSNP: Badan Standar Nasional Pendidikan (National Education Standard Board).
This is an independent and professional institution that aimes to develop, monitor,
and evaluate the implementation of the national education standard.
2. CALL: Computer-Assisted Language Learning. CALL is “the search for and
study of applications of the computer in language teaching and learning" (Levy,
1997, p. 1). 31 3. CBC or KBK: Competence-Based Curriculum or Kurikulum Berbasis
Kompetensi. KBK is the pilot program for shifting the educational system from
being centralized to being decentralized. It was implemented between 2002-2004,
before being improved and replaced with KTSP. The curriculum was designed to
emphasize the development of competencies.
4. DIKNAS: Departemen Pendidikan Nasional. It is the National Education
Department of Indonesia. It is also nows as the Ministry of the National Education
of Indonesia.
5. EFL: English as a Foreign Language. As a foreign language, English is taught and
used in a classroom setting and is not widely spoken in the daily conversation
outside the classroom setting.
6. ESL: English as a Second Language. Unlike EFL that is only spoken in a
classroom setting, English as a second language is spoken both in and out
classroom setting. This means that English is spoken in a daily life context in the
surrounding environment.
7. KTSP: Kurikulum Satuan Tingkat Pendidikan (Schoold-Based Curriculum).
KTSP is a recent curriculum being implemented in Indonesia. KTSP is an
improvement of the previous curriculum, CBC (Competence-Based Curriculum).
Both curriculums aim to shift from the centralized to the decentralized curriculum
system in Indonesia.
8. Technology = Technology is a broad term that refers to the use of tools and
machine systems to do tasks efficiently. This study limits the definition of
technology to refer to computers and computer- related technologies. 32 9. Technology Integration: Technology integration is use of technological
equipment in classroom teaching and learning by students and teachers aimed at to
facilitate, motivate and increase the understanding of lesson.
10. UNG: Universitas Negeri Gorontalo or State University of Gorontalo. University
of Gorontalo is the only public university in the province of Gorontalo, Indonesia.
33 Chapter 2: Literature Review
The goal of this chapter is to review the relevant literature and studies that reflects the content of the research questions. This chapter begins with a general overview of the geographical and physical conditions of Indonesia, followed by its socio-cultural and political context and their impact on the recent changes of the educational system in
Indonesia. The evolution of each curriculum previously implemented in Indonesia is summarized to explain the increasing decentralization of the curriculum in Indonesia.
This chapter will also provide a general overview of EFL teaching in Indonesia, and elaborate how the new curriculum is affecting EFL curriculum. In addition, this chapter presents general information about the integration of technology in education in
Indonesia. It will also elaborate on the information about Computer Assisted Language
Learning (CALL), which promises to provide solutions for the challenges in the integrating of technology in EFL teaching in Gorontalo, Indonesia.
The Geographical and Physical Conditions of Indonesia
This section is aimed to explain the geographical and physical conditions of
Indonesia and their impact on the Indonesian Educational System. Indonesia is the biggest archipelago in the world located in a tropical area. It consists of more than 17,000 islands, which spread across the seas along the equator for 5,111 kilometers (3,194 miles) east to west and 1,888 kilometers (1,118 miles) north to south. As can be seen in Figure
2, the sea area is considerably larger than the land area. In this archipelago, there are 60 active volcanoes out of a total of 200, and there are also many mountain ranges on the various islands. The geographical position of Indonesia creates conditions that make it 34 difficult to reach isolated areas because they are separated from the rest of Indonesia and the world by dense forest, mountains, and seas (Madya, et al., 2007).
Figure 2. Map of Indonesia
Despite the hostile geographical and physical conditions, Indonesia has abundant natural resources such as gold, silver, oil, and natural gas mines, rain forests with abundant biodiversity, seas as a source of a wide variety of sea creatures; and large tracts of fertile land to grow abundant varieties of plants and trees.
In urban and suburban areas, people have benefited from various types of development, while in rural and remote areas, many people are deprived of access to information and education. The less privileged-areas are not adequately equipped with textbooks, instructional laboratories and curriculum guidelines, or other types of 35 educational access and equipment. Some schools in less privileged areas are seldomly visited by their supervisors/superintendents due to their remoteness.
The Impact Socio-Cultural Context on Education
The socio-cultural context of education in Indonesia is unique in many ways. This uniqueness is largely attributed to the multicultural and multilingual nature of Indonesian society. Indonesia has 745 local languages and dialects, each with their own unique characteristics and about 350 ethnic groups and tribes, with their own customs, beliefs, religions, social structure, and different types of villages (Gordon & Grimes, 2005).
The diversity of the country in respect to geography and ethnography requires a great degree of tolerance among the people. It requires that the people tolerate their differences in order to establish a peaceful and harmonious life. Understanding and appreciating each other’s differences are dire necessities. Tolerance and empathy often develops naturally through daily life experiences, and therefore are of great importance in
Indonesia.
Such a context is further made unique by the disparities of development created by differing degrees of ease with which people have access to information and the means for development due to the geographical environment described in the previous section.
More than 230 million Indonesian people inhibit about 930 islands in the archipelago, with a wide range of physical conditions, including mountains, fertile flood plains and extensive river tributaries. Proportionally, about 60% of the population live in Java whose area is probably about 10% of the whole land area (Madya, et al., 2007), which can be seen on the map in Figure 2. While Java is densely populated, other bigger islands are disproportionately scarcely populated. This unequal population distribution has a great 36 impact on the management of education, especially on the curriculum design that should equally address all of the different characteristics of people in Indonesia.
The Political Context in Indonesia and Its Impact on the Education System
Another aspect that has significant impact on education is the political system.
Prior to the establishment of the Reform Order Government, which collapsed in 1998, the political system was highly centralized. At that time, all ministries exercised full authority in making policies based on the State Development Guidelines formulated by the People’s General Assembly.
Adoption of Indonesia’s first decentralization law in 1948, which was the Basic
Law on Regional Government, mandated that the governing power would be dispersed across the islands. The Constitution of 1950 even specifies, “The Division of Indonesia into large and small regions with proportional measure of autonomy to manage their own affairs” (Indonesian Constitution of 1950, Article 131).
After the first president, Sukarno, was forced out of office in 1965, the New Order leadership that replaced him revived plans for decentralizing the bureaucracy. Intent on increasing administrative effectiveness, the government passed Law No. 5 of 1974, which called for the delegation of authority to the regencies and municipalities. The law, however, was never translated into action (Bjork, 2006). Buising (2000) argues that there are several factors that interfered with policy implementation. First, Law No. 5 did not provide detailed plans for transferring power to local levels. Second, many bureaucrats resisted pressure to share their power with sub-national offices. Finally, the oil boom that enriched Indonesia soon after Law No. 5 was adopted, allowed New Order leaders to co- opt the regions by offering them much needed development funds in exchange for their 37 support of a strong central government (p. 2). As a result, Law No. 5 had little effect on the distribution of power in Indonesian governmental offices. Although the law remained in effect, it was largely ignored.
During the New Order era (1966–1998), authority became steadily more concentrated in the capital city, Jakarta. Concerned about potential threats to his power and to national unity, President Suharto gradually tightened the “leash” that connected local levels of government to the center. Javanese stress on harmony and unity, combined with Indonesia’s rapid economic development, fed into Suharto’s plans for minimizing threats to his own authority (Schwarz, 2000). Improvements in transportation and communication networks enhanced communication across all levels of government, but the bulk of information flowed in one direction with little return to the provinces.
After the resignation of Suharto, the newly appointed president, B. J. Habibie unexpectedly propelled the nation forward in its decentralization project. At that time,
Habibie was under great pressure to respond to political reforms proposed by the opposition forces that drove out his predecessor from office. Decentralization was perceived as a means of maintaining national cohesion in a precarious and volatile political environment. Only a year after being sworn in as president, Mr. Habibie signed two laws that required the country to step up its efforts to delegate authority to sub- national levels of government, and to do so without delay. Law No. 22/1999 on Regional
Government and Law No. 25/1999 on the Fiscal Balance between the Central
Government and the Regions decreed that all sectors of government begin the process of decentralization on January 1, 2001 (Bjork, 2006). 38 The centralized political system in Indonesia has undergone a radical change, shifting to a decentralized system based on the Act No. 22 of 1999 in Regional
Government, which was later revised to be Act No.32/2004 in Regional Government; and
Government Regulation No. 25 of 2000 which was revised to be Government Regulation
No. 38/2007, on the Sharing of Government Affairs between the Central, Provincial, and
District/ City governments; all of which were declared in effect in 2001. This policy states that regions are classified into Districts, Municipality, and Province, providing to each its own autonomy to govern (Bjork, 2006).
Law No. 22 called for the elimination of the hierarchical relationship between the provincial and local governments within 2 years. For the first time, the localities became responsible for managing most public services, such as education, health, and city planning. City and district offices no longer reported to the provincial governors. Instead, they were made accountable to locally elected assemblies (Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat
Daerah). Another notable aspect of Law No. 22 was a call for the decoupling of most provincial offices from central ministries. As a result, local governments were granted the authority to hire, fire, pay, and train civil servants stationed outside of the capital.
Law No. 25 stated that “the regions have the authority and responsibility to carry out the people’s interests in accordance with principles that are transparent, involve community participation, and are accountable” (Article 3.1.3.1). It also required the national government to share 20% of all revenues with sub-national governments. So, although city and district governments received larger shares of taxes and fees collected in Jakarta, their financial burdens also increased. Law No. 25 outlined a system of 39 revenue sharing that required provincial and district governments to redistribute many of the taxes they collected.
The regulations stated that regions are classified into Districts, Municipalities, and
Provinces, with ther defined their autonomy to govern. It is further stated in Article 10, sections 2-3, the region has full authority in all affairs except foreign affairs, defense, security, justice, national monetary and fiscal responsibilities, and religion. This means that the authority to provide education is delegated to the provinces, the districts, and the cities. Concerning the authority in education, arrangements have been made in
Government Regulation No. 25 of 2000 (revised to be No. 38 of 2007) on the Sharing of
Government Affairs between the central Provincial, and Districts/ Cities Government.
During the shift from centralization to decentralization in education, Indonesia has undergone two major changes in curriculum. These were changes from Curriculum
1994 to KBK in 2004, then from KBK to KTSP in 2006. As will be seen in what follows, these two changes were not the only changes of the curriculum Indonesia.
The Evolution of Curriculum in Indonesia
Oliva (2005) defines curriculum as a set of materials, a course of study, a sequence of courses, and as a set of performances. Curriculum is a plan for providing sets of learning opportunities for persons to be educated. In Indonesia, curriculum is considered in terms of plans, programs, and rules about the objectives, content, and the teaching and learning materials that are used in educational implementation, and it serves as a guideline to conduct instructional activities in order to achieve the National
Education Achievement (Ginanto, 2010; Hasbullah, 2006; Depdiknas, 2003b).
Changes to the curriculum and approaches to teaching in addition to the changing 40 of the Minister of Education are a common practice in Indonesia (Dardjowidjojo,
2000; Nur, 2003). In some ways, changes in the curriculum are “inevitable and necessary” in order to improve it (Oliva 2005, p.27). Furthermore, Soekisno (2007) argues that curriculum, as a set of education planning needs, should be developed dynamically based on the changing demands of students and society. On the other hand, the changes in curriculum have become a major challenge for educators in some parts of
Indonesia, especially those in the unprivileged regions due to inequality in economic, social, and political developments. This is especially true for the regions that are most distant from the capital city of Indonesia, Jakarta, since it requires a great deal of time and money in order to introduce new curriculum in those areas. Unfortunately when those areas are ready to implement these changes, the curriculum has already changed again.
Changes in the Indonesian national curriculum are the logical consequences of the changes in the political system, social culture, economy, and information and technology in Indonesia (Depdiknas, 2003b). Since its independence from 350 years of Dutch colonialism in 1945, the Indonesian National Curriculum has been changed nine times.
The changes began in 1947 and continued in 1952, 1964, 1968, 1975, 1984, 1994, 2004, and the latest one was in 2006. The following is some brief information about each curriculum in Indonesia.
The development of curriculum in Indonesia was started in 1947. At that time, the curriculum was still affected by the Dutch education system due to Dutch colonialism in
Indonesia. The name of the curriculum was Rentjana Peladjaran 1947 (Lesson Plans
1947). The curriculum was a replacement of the educational system implemented during the Dutch Colonial era. The curriculum more emphasized the shaping of the character of 41 the Indonesian people as an independent sovereign people and as equals with other nationalities in the world (Ginanto, 2010).
In 1952, the Rentjana Pelajaran 1947 was improved with a curriculum named
Rentjana Pelajaran Terurai 1952. This curriculum was aimed at the national curriculum system. The most distinctive characteristic of this curriculum was that each lesson paid attention to the content of the lesson, which was based on the Indonesian daily life.
In the beginning of 1964, the Indonesian curriculum was again improved with the introduction of Rentjana Pendidikan 1964. This curriculum emphasized academic knowledge with special attention to elementary education. The development of morals, intelligence, emotional wellbeing, arts and crafts, and sports, became the major aspects of content areas to develop (Hamalik, 1971).
In 1968, the Curriculum 1964 was later changed to Curriculum 1968. The objectives of this curriculum were to shape the Indonesian characteristics based on
Pancasila who is strong, both physically as well as mentally. Pancasila is the official philosophical foundation of the Indonesian state that comprises five principles held to be inseparable and interrelated:
1. Belief in one and only God
2. A just and civilized humanity
3. The unity of Indonesia
4. Democracy guided by the inner wisdom in the unanimity arising out of
deliberations amongst representatives, and
5. Social justice for all the people of Indonesia
Another objective of Curriculum 1968 was to develop the intelligence and physical skills, 42 morals, manners, and religious faith. The content of this curriculum emphasized the increasing need for intelligence, practical skills, and physical fitness and health of the
Indonesian people.
The replacement of Curriculum 1968 was the Curriculum 1975. This curriculum used an approach called the Prosedur Pengembangan Sistem Instruksional (Developing
Instructional System Procedure), which aimed at the achievement of specific objectives that could be formulated in reference to the students’ attitudes. In its implementation, the curriculum 1975 was emphasized on a stimulus response approach with repeated drills using prompted repetition.
By the beginning of 1983, Curriculum 1975 had failed to fulfill the needs and demands of the people with regards to the development of science and technology. As a consequence, the government decided to amend Curriculum 1975 to Curriculum 1984.
This curriculum was oriented to specific instructions that during limited school times, students should be given functional and effective learning experiences. Therefore, before choosing or designing teaching materials, the first thing to determine was the objectives that students should achieve. With the Curriculum 1984, an approach called Cara Belajar
Siswa Aktif (Active Learning) was first introduced in Indonesia. The teaching materials were designed using a spiral instructional approach, which was more concerned with the deep and broad items of the lessons. At higher grades, the lessons would add deeper and broader learning connections than they had been given in previous grades (Ginanto,
2010).
In 1993, the government considered the instructional process using learning theories-based teaching was neglecting the content of the lesson. Therefore, Curriculum 43 1984 was replaced by Curriculum 1994, which was heavily content-oriented. This new curriculum emphasized that teachers should be able to choose and to use a strategy that can engage students to learn mentally, physically, and in the process to become socially active. In order to do this, instruction should be adjusted to the characteristics of the lesson and the students’ thinking and their level of development. Therefore, there should be an existence of harmony between the instruction that emphasizes the concept of comprehension and the teaching that emphasizes the students’ skills to solve problems.
By the year 2002, the government had realized that the content-based curriculum was failing to address students’ skills needed to compete in the global world. Students’ study load was considered too heavy to handle because of the multitude of subjects and complexity of materials in each subject. As a result, Kurikulum Berbasis Kompetensi
(KBK) or the Competence-Based Curriculum was introduced that same year consequentially with the implementation of the Act No. 22 of 1999 and the Government
Regulation No. 25 of 2002 about regional autonomy. But, the implementation of KBK did not take effect until 2004. The curriculum placed emphasis on developing the knowledge and ability to do certain tasks based on a standard of performance that was predetermined by the government. Thus, Competency Based Education is education geared toward preparing individuals to perform according to identified competencies
(Hamalik, 2002). The introduction of the Competence-Based Curriculum was the starting point for the National curriculum to shift from a centralized to a decentralized curriculum setting.
The government of Indonesia has continued the decentralization trend by releasing the Regional Autonomy Laws in 1999. As of January 1st, 2001, under Act No. 22 and 44 Government Regulation No. 25 of 2002, all regions are to be autonomous (Depdiknas,
2003). As a consequence, regions must lessen their dependency upon the central government by encouraging the participation of local people and by developing their own potentials and resources.
Decentralization of Curriculum Planning in Indonesia
One of the significant goals of educational decentralization is to create more democratic authority structures and to expand the circle of actors involved in decision- making. In particular, teachers are pressed to take a more active role in school management and curricular design, while in the centralized educational system, all policies including the curriculum and the guidance of its implementation were handled by the central government. As a result, with the implementation of the Act 22 of 1999 followed by the Government Regulation No. 25 of 2002, there would be a sharing of responsibilities and authorities between the central and the local governments, including policies related to the development of the new curriculum in Indonesia.
Even though the Indonesian National Curriculum has changed nine times, the evolution of the curriculum in Indonesia was marked by two major changes. The first was from Curriculum 1994 to Curriculum 2004 (KBK), which involved a shift from a content-oriented curriculum to a competency-based curriculum, and marking of the changes from the centralization to the decentralization in the Indonesian education system. The second was from KBK to KTSP, which was an improvement over the decentralization in the Education system in Indonesia. Mulyasa (2002) identified nine differences between the Curriculum 1994 and the Curriculum 2004 (KBK). The 45 following table is designed to provide a simplified overview and explanation of these differences. 46 Table 2.1.
The Differences between Kurikulum 1994 and Kurikulum Berbasis Kompetensi
No Kurikulum 1994 Kurikulum Berbasis Kompetensi (KBK)
1 Using the mastery of knowledge Using Competency-based approach.
approach
2 Academic standards were determined Competency standard was determined
identical for all students by concern for individual differences
3 Content-based Competence-based
4 Centralized curriculum planning Decentralized curriculum planning
5 Materials development was often not Schools are given autonomy to create
suited to the scholastic potential, and develop syllabus and lesson plans
needs, students’ ability, nor the needs
of the surrounding society
6 Using teacher-centered approach in Teacher is a facilitator of learning
the teaching and learning process
7 Knowledge, skill and attitude were Knowledge, skill and attitude are
developed through social tasks. developed based on understanding that
will shape individual competency
8 Teaching only happened in classroom Teaching can be anywhere.
setting.
9 Evaluation could not address Evaluation is class-based emphasized
individual aspects of each student. the process and the result of learning
47 Table 2.1 shows that Curriculum 1994 emphasized the content materials, understanding, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation. It was also highly content- based where students are considered as white papers that needed to be written on with various knowledge, whereas KBK placed emphasis on the understanding, skills, and specific competencies in school that relate to job requirements in society. The competency standard is determined by individual differences such as learning preferences, learning speed and the socio-culture context. This competence-based curriculum enables students to be on a continuous course of development. It means that students will be able to develop their inner potential in relation to the learning opportunities offered by their environment.
Kurikulum Berbasis Kompetensi (KBK)
Kurikulum Berbasis Kompetensi (KBK) or Competence-Based Curriculum places a greater emphasis on the development of competencies in specific tasks based on a predetermined standard of performance. This means that education refers to the effort to prepare an individual to complete a set of competencies that have been pre-determined.
In line with the educational visions which point to two developmental objectives, namely to address students’ the present and future needs, the school education was entrusted with a set of missions in the form of competency packages. In this context, competency can be defined as knowledge, skills, and values reflected in habitual ways of thinking and acting.
In terms of educational outcomes, a consistent and continuous habitual way of thinking and acting enables one to be competent. It means that one could acquire knowledge, skills, and basic values through applied practice (Pusat Kurikulum, 2002a). 48 The Indonesian Center of Curriculum lists the rationales of using the concept of competency in curriculum as follows:
1. Competency is relevant to students’ ability in action in various contexts.
2. Competency measures students’ learning experience.
3. Being competent is a result of learning. It can explain things accomplished by
students after experiencing the learning process.
4. Students’ ability and reliability in doing something should be defined clearly in a
standard that can be achieved through a measurable performance.
(Pusat Kurikulum, 2002).
KBK is a set of plans and regulations about competency and learning achievement, evaluation, the teaching and learning process, and the empowerment of educational resources in developing a curriculum. The Indonesian Center of Curriculum of the
Ministry of National Education further mentioned that KBK is based on the results of a series of meaningful learning experiences, and on the differences that can be determined depending on the students’ individualized needs (Pusat Kurikulum, 2002).
Based on this plan, a competency-based educational program should have three basic elements: first, the choice of suitable competence; second, the evaluation indicators in order to determine the competencies achievement; and the development of an instructional system to match. The following are the characteristics of KBK formulated by the Indonesian Center of Curriculum of the Ministry of National Education:
- Emphasizing the students’ competency achievements, both individual and
classical.
- Orienting the learning outcomes and learning differences. 49 - Using various approaches and methods in teaching.
- The teacher is not the only learning resource; there are other learning resources
that can be educational.
- The evaluation emphasizes the process and the results of learning in an attempt to
achieve a certain competency.
- The competency structure in KBK of one subject contains the details of the basic
competencies of the subject and the expected student attitude.
- The structure of this basic competence is detailed as a component of the class and
semester.
- The learning outcome statement is determined for each aspect of a subject at each
level.
- The formulation of a learning outcome seeks to answer the question: “What
should students know and be able to do as a result of learning at this level?”
- The learning outcome should reflect the width, depth, and complexity of the
curriculum by stating it in a verb that can be measured with any assessment
technique.
- Each learning outcome has its own set of indicators.
- The indicators are formulated to answer the question: “How do we know whether
students have reached their expected learning outcome?”
- A teacher will use indicators as a basic evaluation as to whether students have
achieved the expected learning outcome. Indicators are not meant to limit the
instructional activities. Also, they are not intended to decide how a teacher should
conduct the assessment. For example, if the indicators state that students should 50 be able to explain a certain concept and idea, the tasks can be done through
writing, presentation, or through another performance and task as determined
appropriate by the teacher for a student.
(Pusat Kurikulum, 2002).
The aim of the implementation of KBK was to produce competent outcomes for students that reflected the development of their own capability, society, nation, and country. As a national curriculum, KBK has accommodated various needs of national, regional, and schools, that can be enriched for the sake of their global importance
(Depdiknas, 2003c).
KBK was a national standard for competency. Regions and schools translated this standard into a set of plans, learning procedures, learning experiences, learning materials, time allocation, classroom management, media and learning resources, and assessments of the learning outcomes. The success of KBK implementation was marked by the existence of positive students’ habits of creative thinking and action in their daily life among family, schools, and in society.
Kurikulum Tingkat Satuan Pendidikan (KTSP)
Kurikulum Tingkat Satuan Pendidikan (KTSP) or School-Based Curriculum is the most recent curriculum in Indonesia. In some countries such as Great Britain and
Australia, where the decentralized educational system is very strong, School-based
Curriculum had already become a trend starting in the late 1970s (Li, 2006, p. 1).
The implementation of KTSP is a new strategy in the development of a successful educational system in Indonesia. Schools in each province, have the autonomy to design a curriculum based on their local needs. This curriculum will gradually modify the 51 educational system in Indonesia from being strongly centralized to a decentralized educational system.
KTSP is regulated by the Constitution No. 20 (2003) about the National
Education System and by the Indonesian Government Regulation No. 19 (2005) about the National Education Standard. The implementation of KTSP is based on the National
Education Minister’s Regulation No. 24 (2006). Schools are urged to design their own curriculum based on the content standard and the output competency standard, which are included in the guidelines designed by the National Education Standard Board (BSNP).
Government Regulation No. 19 (2005) provides direction to implement eight standards of national education, which are: content standard, process standard, outcomes’ competency standard, educators’ standard, media and infrastructure standard, management standard, funding and budget standard, and the education assessment standard. Two of these eight standards, the content standard and the outcomes’ competency standard, are the main reference for educational units used to design and develop curriculum (BNSP, 2006).
The content standard consists of the basic framework of the curriculum structure, study load, school-based curriculum, and the calendar of education. It covers the scope of materials and level of competency to achieve the outcome competency for different levels and types of education. The content standards include competence standards and the basic competency of each subject in each semester of each level and type of primary and secondary education. These content standards were stipulated by the National Education
Ministry’s Decree No. 22 of 2006 (BNSP, 2006). The outcomes’ competency standard is 52 used as the assessment tool in determining the graduation requirement. It is an outcome measure of abilities including attitude, knowledge and skills (BNSP, 2006).
While there are fundamental differences between KBK and KTSP, still, schools are given full autonomy to design the educational plans based on the characteristics of each educational unit. However, the educational units should refer to standards that have been determined, which include the objectives, visions and missions, structures and content of the curriculum, the academic calendar, and the development of syllabus and lesson plans.
Bolstad (2004) mentions three key features of school-based curriculum, including:
1. Involving school staff in decisions about programs of learning for their students
2. Encouraging Collaborative decision-making processes.
3. Representing an alternative to “top-down” or centralized curriculum decision
making
Besides involving the teachers and the administration in designing the school’s curriculum, KTSP also requires the school committee or school board to be involved. In
Indonesia, the school committee is an organization that involves the students’ parents, which notably are the members of the community. Therefore, it is assumed that by involving the school committee, the process of designing the school’s curriculum will address the local society’s aspiration and needs.
The implementation of KTSP also aims to emphasize the implementation of the previous curriculum, that is the competence-based curriculum. Its implementation depends on the analysis conducted by the National Education Department. The result of the analysis is the new curriculum will only be implemented in schools that are 53 considered ready to use it. The indicators of readiness are, among others, the availability of facilities, experience in implementing competence-based curriculum, and the student to teacher ratio (Hanafie, 2007, p. 1).
Each curriculum that has been implemented in Indonesia has its own strengths and weaknesses, depending on a number of various factors such as the political situation, and the social economic conditions. Hanafie (2007) notes some strengths and weaknesses of KTSP compared to other curriculums that have been implemented in Indonesia (pp. 1-
5).
KTSP’s strengths include: a. Encourages the existence of school autonomy in education. With a stronger
autonomy, schools are able to address the needs of the students and the community
where the school is located. b. Encourages teachers, principals, and school administrators to increase their creativity
in organizing the educational programs. c. Makes it possible for each school to develop certain subjects based on the special
characteristics of each school, its students, and the community where the school is
operated. d. Lessens 20% of the students’ study load. Some subjects that are considered too heavy
for the students will be eliminated, while subjects that put emphasis on the
development of the students’ competency will be maintained. As a result, students
will have more time to study the depth and breadth of each subject, and more time to
join extracurricular activities. (pp. 1-5). 54 The weaknesses are: a. Insufficient human resources in almost all schools b. Lack of facilities to compliment implementation of this curriculum. The uneven
development in Indonesia also has negatively affected the educational field. Most of
the schools in Indonesia, especially in remote areas, have substandard educational
facilities. Some schools have very poor academic resources. This situation makes the
implementation of school-based curriculum in Indonesia more complicated. c. Lack of comprehensive understanding about the concept of school-based curriculum;
its design and practice. d. Reducing study hours means also reducing teachers’ salary. School-based curriculum
in Indonesia intends to lessen the length of study hours, which will affect the salaries
earned by the teachers.
Implementation of KTSP in EFL Teaching
Foreign language education in Indonesia, particularly the teaching of English, has been problematic, before and after the decentralization era. The continually-revised curriculum does not take into serious consideration the important factors such as suitable qualifications for teachers, time availability, numbers of students, or available resources and facilities, nor does it provide strategies and alternative solutions for problems related to English language education. Furthermore, the curriculum guidelines do not address the needs of the less privileged schools especially those in remote areas.
The recent curriculum in English language education in Indonesia focuses only on the teaching of English at junior and high school levels since English is not compulsory at the elementary level. The new curriculum adopts communicative competence as its model of 55 competence (Depdiknas, 2003c). Communicative competence is summarized as skills needed for communication, which consists of four important components. Those components are: grammatical/linguistic competence, socio-cultural competence, discourse competence, and strategic competence (Beale, 2002; Celce-Murcia, Dornyei & Thurrell, 1995; Richards & Rodgers, 1986). In line with the concept of communicative competence, the following factors should therefore be present in an English language classroom: 1. Fluency and acceptable language is the primary goal (Richards & Rodgers, 1986). This implies that the teacher him/herself should be a fluent English speaker. 2. Students are expected to interact with other students in order to communicate in the target language (Freeman, 2000; Richards & Rodgers, 1986). This implies that the tasks should include pair and group work, and those activities like role-plays, language games and problem-solving tasks are encouraged. 3. Students should be given enough opportunity to get to know the authentic language (Freeman, 2000). Therefore, authentic materials are important in an English classroom. 4. The role of the teacher is that of a facilitator in communication (Freeman, 2000; Richards & Rodgers, 1986;). It implies that the amount of teacher talking time should not be a barrier for students in using the target language (McDonough & Shaw, 1993). 5. The role of students’ native language should be minimal (Freeman, 2000). English should be used the majority of the time. 6. Non-technical and technical media are important tools for language learning and teaching, particularly for carrying out language tasks (Brinton, 2001). Nontechnical media include: blackboards, posters, maps, pictures, and photos. Technical media include: tape recorder, CD/Video/DVD players, and overhead projectors. 56 With regard to English teachers, Ur (2002) adds that they should be professional in the sense that: 1. They should actively join conferences locally, nationally, and internationally. 2. They should have appropriate training and should be committed to their job. 3. They should be autonomous and responsible for maintaining their professional standards. 4. They should not only be able to speak the language but should also be able explain how and why the language works the way it does. Whether or not English teaching and English teachers in Indonesia meets the “ideals” as stated above, remains a real question. What is stated and expected in the recent curriculum document might be implemented differently in an English classroom due to many unexpected factors, such as limited resources, facilities, and funding, and qualified teachers. The virtues behind communicative competence as recommended by Richards and Rodgers (1986), McDonough and Shaw (1993), Freeman (2000), and Brinton (2001) just to name a few, are difficult to implement in many English classrooms in Indonesia, let alone in less-privileged schools. In the era of educational decentralization in which schools are forced to be more autonomous and independent, the condition could potentially worsen.
Technology Integration in Classroom Learning
Technology exists everywhere, touching almost every part of our lives, our communities, and our homes. Unfortunately, most schools lag far behind when it comes to integrating technology into the instructional context. Many pepople are just starting to explore the real potential technology offers for teaching and learning. If it properly used, technology will help students acquire the skills they need to survive in a complex, highly technological knowledge-based economy (Edutopia Staff, 2008). 57 Learning through projects while equipped with technology equipment allows students to be intellectually challenged while providing them with a realistic picture of what the modern office looks like. Through projects, students acquire and refine their analysis and problem-solving skills as they work individually and in teams to find, process, and synthesize information they've found online. The numerous resources in the online world also provide each classroom with more interesting, diverse, and current learning materials. The Web connects students to experts in the real world and provides numerous opportunities for expressing understanding through images, sound, and text. As an added benefit, with technology tools and a project-learning approach, students are more likely to stay engaged and on task, reducing behavioral problems in the classroom
(Edutopia Staff, 2008).
Technology also changes the way teachers teach, offering educators effective ways to reach different types of learners and to assess student understanding through multiple means. It also enhances the relationship between teacher and student. When technology is effectively integrated into subject areas, teachers grow into roles of adviser, content expert, and coach. “Technology helps make teaching and learning more meaningful and fun” (Edutopia staff, 2008, para. 6).
Technology Integration in Language Learning
The use of technology becomes an urgent issue considering that students nowadays are born in an era where technology becomes part of all aspects of human life especially education. Children nowadays are born as digital natives. As a digital native, children are thinking, learning, and socializing in different ways. Their way of thinking and socializing is influenced by the environment and culture in which they are raised 58 (Prensky, 2001). Thus, a special classroom environment is crucial to support what constitutes learning based on their way of thinking (Weade, 1992).
The integration of technology in the teaching and learning process is essential to support the digital natives. The classroom needs to provide an environment and atmosphere that will allow students to create and construct their knowledge, share and collaborate with their peers who are not only from their in-class group, but also from around the world (Warschauer, 2003).
A social constructivist perspective views classrooms as dynamic, evolving, and as a differentiated communication environment (Prensky, 2001). The use of technology provides resources and facilities for learners to both construct as well apply their knowledge. They will be able to create, edit, and share content. With the use of technology in the classroom, students are able to choose environment themes where they feel most comfortable to study. Students should always be provided with both an individual and group learning spaces. Providing both an individual and group learning space is a gateway to the behavioral tendency of human beings to be able to work as an individual or as a group (Prensky, 2001). In this research, the integration of technology in the classroom setting places an emphasis on computer use in language learning.
Studies have been conducted on the integration of technology in learning. In the area of language learning, research into the integration of technology has benefitted from the tremendous amount of studies in the use of Computer-Assisted Language Learning
(Kessler, 2005, 2007; Warschauer & Healey, 1998; Fotos & Browne, 2004;
Hegelmeimer, 2006). 59 Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) in EFL Instructions
The language policy in some countries considers English as a foreign language, because English is not spoken outside the instructional setting. The teaching of English as a foreign language in non-English speaking countries is considered tougher compared to the teaching of English as a foreign language in English-speaking countries. Learning
English in an English-speaking country, students benefit from the exposure to the surrounding environment where they can converse with native speakers of English and are forced to the basic use of the language to survive in the country. The engaging nature of CALL provides access to authentic tasks and audiences, which are the main obstacles faced by most EFL teachers in non-English speaking countries.
Once introduced to the uses of CALL, teachers in general can develop their own perception of how CALL can be used in language instruction. Their perception depends on what they think about the role of CALL in enhancing their teaching quality, their level of confidence, the training/preparation they had in college, and their level of familiarity with the new technology. The availability of technological devices, eventhough not crucial in determining learning results, affects teacher’s willingness to incorporate technology in an instructional context (Kessler, 2007). The educational outcomes are also affected the by teachers’ perceptions of the use of CALL in Language instruction
Efficiency in assessing student learning.
Teachers have various perceptions of CALL. The initial interest of teachers to the use of CALL was the, “promise of efficiency” (Kessler, 2005, p. 2). Early studies in
CALL have predicted that the use of CALL can save teachers’ time in the evaluation process, for example in correcting and grading students’ work (Warschauer & Healey, 60 1998). CALL can also accelerate some of the tedious tasks in the evaluation process. It can also be used as a tool to create, apply and evaluate language lessons through specific tests of language. Teachers can easily create appropriate tests and compute the results and this will save them time and energy.
Additionally, many students find it fairer if the test is conducted using a computer-based test, since they believe the results are more accurate compared to the results of a paper-based test. Moreover, because the use of technology can automate the lengthy task of assessing students’ work, students can get feedback in a timely manner
(Kessler, 2005; 2006; 2007; Kessler & Plakans, 2008).
The cost of providing course materials.
Authentic materials in teaching English in an EFL setting are essential because they provide exposure to the target language. Spolsky (1989, p. 166) claims “the outcome of language learning depends in large measure on the amount and kind of exposure to the target language”. Therefore, the availability of authentic tasks and materials in the target language is important to determine the result of language learning. Unfortunately, providing authentic materials including textbooks sometimes costs more than budget allows, not to mention the time spent waiting on and the cost for those materials to reach the schools in order to be used. The use of technology can virtually eliminate these problems. Teachers will have a wider opportunity to browse authentic materials online, which might better suit the students’ needs. Besides saving a great deal of money in providing course materials, teachers can also save time which can be used to better prepare course materials. Moreover, the use of technology helps teachers to keep up with 61 the latest development in language instruction materials as well as methods and approaches in teaching language.
Access to interaction with authentic audience.
Studies show that interaction between learners and others determines the result of learning (Egbert, Hanson-Smith & Chao, 2007). Learning is a social process (Vygotsky,
1978). This concept is familiar in second language instruction. Therefore, the interaction between learners with an authentic audience is essential. Taking this into consideration, many countries that provide EFL instruction tend to provide their language institution with the availability of native speakers. However, bringing native speakers to teach into the language institutions is costly. The integration of technology can provide access to authentic audiences in more cost-effective ways. Students have more access to a wider range of exposure to the target language by interacting with native speakers through the use of technology. Some features such as email and chat rooms provide some level of comfort for students to interact with authentic audiences. The use of CALL can also facilitate the students’ understanding and manipulating of the target language
(Warschauer, 1996).
Promote independent learning.
The nature of language learning should equally address both competence and performance (Chomsky, 1985). English proficiency is not sufficiently acquired only in the classroom interaction; in other words, the more practice the better. The presence of a
CALL lab accommodates students’ self-study and enables them to drill their language skills. Fotos & Browne (2004) note a growing body of research that demonstrates 62 CALL’s effectiveness in promoting both fluency and accuracy in the target language as well as improving motivation and learner autonomy.
The use of technology not only supports learners’ autonomy, which promotes the development of confidence and skills to learn independently in various contexts. This also leads to development of appropriate stress or anxiety levels in the learning environment. With technology, EFL learners can be relatively free from peer pressure and feel less anxiety than they might in a traditional EFL learning environment.
Facilitate individual differences.
Studies note that individual differences influence students’ success in second language learning (Krashen, 1981; Shore, 1995; Hall & Verpaetsle, 2000). Teachers should understand the different needs of different students. This is not easy, especially if the class size is large. Students have different learning styles and learning preferences that are impossible to address all at the same time, thus requiring differentiated instruction. Students who chose not to participate in classroom interactions have an opportunity to explore and develop their skills through the use of a well-designed CALL program. Students will be motivated to learn if their needs are addressed, which in turn will affect their success in learning the language (Fotos & Browne, 2004).
Level of confidence in using technology.
Research has recognized the importance of confidence and comfort in using technology for language students and teachers. Egbert, Paulus and Nakamichi (2002), report that many language teachers, including young teachers, feel discomfort at any given activity related to the use of a computer. Addressing by this concern, Kessler
(2006) also identifies the importance of teachers’ comfort in using CALL methods and 63 materials. His study noted that teachers who have less comfort in using CALL materials are likely to ignore or ineffectively use CALL methods and materials.
Hegelmeimer (2006) recognized the importance of confidence in using technology for language teachers. His study suggests that the more confident teachers are in using technology, the more likely they will apply it in innovative ways. In a similar vein, Kessler and Plakans (2008) examine the relationship between confidence and
CALL, specifically the use of audio and video technology among language teachers.
Their study not only demonstrated the importance of confidence in using technology for language teachers, but also identified that the teachers’ level of confidence determines their willingness to use technology for instructional purposes. Based on the data analysis, they classified the teachers as less confident, contextually confident, and highly confident.
The study notes that the contextually confident and less confident teachers showed the highest levels of technology use in class. The authors mention that these two groups use technology for “assessment, self-assessment, and regular weekly practice both in classes and self-study and for diagnostic, formative and final evaluation”. In contrast, the highly confident teachers showed lower level of use compared to contextually confident and less confident users. “They appeared not to have integrated it as much as the other two groups, if at all, for diagnostic, formative or final assessment or self-assessment” (p. 278).
In conclusion, this study suggests that personal skill is not necessarily equal to the frequent use of technology used for instructional use.
Importance of Adequate Technology Preparation
Research indicates that preparation and training for language teachers in integrating technology is essential. Murday, Ushida & Chenoweth (2008) conducted a 64 study on learners’ and teachers’ perspectives on learning and teaching language online.
They found that from the instructors’ perspective, the most critical aspect of teaching is a hybrid online language course used for training purposes.
Some studies have also been conducted on the importance of training and preparation for teachers using technology for language instruction. Most of the studies showed that a lack of adequate teacher preparation for CALL results in the inappropriate use of CALL in the instructional process (Egbert, 1999). Therefore, teachers should be prepared adequately in implementing CALL in an instructional setting. Even for those who felt comfortable enough in using the new technology, the preparation is still needed.
Galloway (1997) claims that teachers who are comfortable in using technology are not necessarily using their technical skill for the instructional purposes. Similarly, Kessler
(2006) argues that presently a common approach to CALL in current language teacher education programs is to concentrate on the hardware and software issues rather than the pedagogy. Furthermore, Kessler argues that much of these instructional technology preparations in teacher training programs focus on digital literacy or a software specific orientation. These skills help teachers to use technology but do not prepare them to use technology for language teaching. Harrington (1991) also notes the importance of distinguishing between preparing teachers to use technology and preparing teachers to use technology for instruction.
The kind of preparation is also determined by the teachers’ attitude toward technology. A study by Kessler (2007) noted that when teachers’ attitudes toward technology are positive it is more a result of informal preparation than of formal preparation. Many teacher education institutions have attempted to prepare student 65 teachers with computer literacy courses, such as a CALL course. However, this preparation has little impact on their perspectives and attitudes toward transferring their knowledge into their own classroom activities (Kessler, 2005; Moore, Morales, & Carel,
1988).
The Integration of CALL in Curriculum
Technology has widely been recognized and integrated in the English curriculum throughout the world. In the United States of America, instructors and curriculum specialists began creating their programs in the 1980s and 1990s as alternatives to some of the monotonous tasks in English and foreign language instruction (Kessler, 2005, p.
17). The rapid change of curriculum required instructors and curriculum developers to address the students’ needs through the development of courseware, using specific curriculum for beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels.
Drenoyianni and Selwood (1998) assert in their study that teachers appear to have a false idea about the integration of computer use in curriculum. Most of them thought that integration was quite easy because the computer has always been in the classroom, and they only needed to integrate the use of the computer throughout the day. This approach reflects a limited view of the meaning of integration of computers in the curriculum. Besides finding that teachers have false ideas about the computer integration into curriculum, their study also found that teachers implement computer activities related to some curriculum topics, only with the primary objective of building computer skills and not for actual academic learning.
Integrating CALL in language instruction is not aimed at just developing students with computer skills, instead, the objective of integrating CALL in the curriculum of 66 language teaching is “associated with self-contained, programmed applications such as tutorials, tools, simulations, instructional games, tests, and so on’’ (Kern and Warschauer,
2000, p. 1). Therefore, most importantly, the pedagogical aspect of language acquisition through the use of technology is the main objective of integrating CALL in language curriculum.
It is essential for EFL and ESL teachers to consider using CALL effectively to enhance language learning by integrating it into curriculum. However, the availability of the technology devices is the first challenge of integrating CALL in language instruction.
It is important to conduct a needs analysis before deciding to build a CALL lab
(O’Connor & Gatton, 2004; Kessler, 2006). Kessler (2006) emphasizes the importance of conducting preliminary steps to evaluating the needs and then implementing the most effective CALL solution. He points out that in order to build a CALL lab we need to conduct a needs analysis; develop a better understanding of CALL; consider space, budget, and staffing; select appropriate hardware and software; and finally, consult online sources for useful information. If determined appropriate and a CALL lab can be provided, then it can be appropriately integrated into the language curriculum and instruction.
When it comes to the attempt to integrate technology into the curriculum, the first obstacles are mainly physical such as lack of hardware, which includes computers, printers, scanners and other devices; lack of software, which includes operating systems, applications, and subject-specific software, such as packages for developing language skills; lack of resources for infrastructure, such as furniture, cabling, room arrangements, and sustainable maintenance and upgrading of systems; and no access to an Internet 67 connection, or slow and unstable Internet connection due to geographic location. It is a reality that even in this era of wireless Internet connection, many schools around the world, especially those in developing countries, still have no access to the Internet. The condition of the schools’ building makes it difficult to build an infrastructure to support the integration of technology into the instructional activities.
The problem of integrating computer technology into the general education and language learning program curriculum is not merely physical. Educational factors also appear to be the problem even when computer hardware and software are available for teachers to use. Yildiz (2007) argues that to be successful in incorporating computer technology into instructional activities requires both technical as well as pedagogical ability which unfortunately, many teachers lack the motivation to gain this knowledge.
This trend emerges mainly from their lack of training and preparation in this field and their beliefs towards the benefits of computer technology in the teaching context. Many teachers are not convinced of the value of using technology in teaching.
Brickner (1995) classified two factors that affect teachers’ attempts to implement computer technology in their classroom activities: extrinsic factors that include limited access to the physical aspects of technology such as technological devices, lack of time in planning, and insufficient support; and intrinsic factors such as the teachers’ beliefs about the benefits that computer bring to their teaching, and their “unwillingness to change”.
Brickner furthermore claims that the intrinsic problem is more challenging compared to the extrinsic problem because it requires teachers to change their “belief systems and institutionalized routines”. Extrinsic barriers can simply be addressed by providing more resources (p. xvii). 68 In some parts of the world, the problems of implementing computer technology in an institutional context are even more complicated. Teachers often face obstacles from the bureaucracy. A centralized and inflexible curriculum often becomes a barrier for teachers who are enthusiastic about integrating the use of technology in their teaching. In the countries where the curriculum is highly centralized, teachers have limited opportunities to design their own curriculum to suit the students’ needs. The government imposes a pre-set curriculum, which they must follow and cover. Unfortunately, this condition is made worse with the extremely limited budget and lack of staff training that is needed to fulfill the government demands. In an EFL context, the result is that even finding software and applications that fit the existing curriculum can be difficult tasks.
Another obstacle that affects teachers’ perceptions of the integration of technology to instructions is the lack of institutional support (Yildiz, 2007). Teachers who are eager to incorporate technology in their teaching activities will have to deal with uncommitted administrators or colleagues and insufficient technical support. In some cases teachers are frequently mandated to be involved in administrative work that often prevents them from having more time to explore and improve their knowledge on the use of computer technology. Low appreciation from the administrators of teachers’ attempts to explore a more creative approach in teaching also affects teachers’ willingness to incorporate technology in the classroom context (Yildiz, 2007). Administrators are sometimes reluctant to encourage teachers to explore new approaches because of the fear of not fulfilling the government’s demands on the implementation of the pre-set curriculum. In addition to this quandary, the lack of understanding of the use of technology and the lack of resources often create significant barriers between 69 administrators and the technology-literate teachers who are eager to use their knowledge in their classroom. 70
Chapter 3: Methodology
The purpose in this chapter is to describe and elaborate on the methodological approaches chosen for this research. The research methods and procedures include a discussion of the researcher’s background relevant for conducting this study, the participants, and the procedures selected for data collection and data analysis.
The Researcher
A qualitative approach recognizes the influence of the researcher on the conduct and presentation of a study. It relies on the self-awareness of the researcher to record their influences. Thus, it is vital that some information about the researcher is included. In reporting qualitative research, the researchers’ background is set out, allowing readers to judge the credibility of the research in relation to intellectual rigor, professional integrity and methodological competence, and the influence of experience and background on the chosen approach (Guba & Lincoln, 1989). Therefore, the researcher’s background and professional experience helps to determine the objectives and frame the focus of what should be investigated in this research, as well as decide how to investigate the problems of this research.
Malterud (2001) states that a researcher's background and position will affect what they choose to investigate, the angle of investigation, the methods chosen for the research purpose, the findings considered most appropriate, and the framing and communication of conclusions. In this research, the experiences in her previous jobs and positions helped the researcher to shape the research questions to be investigated. As an
English faculty member who was responsible for the quality assurance of the EFL student 71 teachers, the researcher experienced similar issues and problems faced by EFL teachers in Gorontalo. Her experience as an instructor during the Competence-based Integrated
Training periods, provided opportunity to converse with EFL teachers from all parts of
Gorontalo province. The majority of the teachers admitted that they were confused with the implementation of competence-based curriculum. They admitted that they do not have time to read books before teaching, and confessed that they do not have the ability to create teaching materials or to use instructional media. These concerns are shared among teachers in Indonesia, including Yuwono (2005) and Bachruddin (2001). The problems are even more common among EFL teachers in less privileged areas in
Indonesia (Yuwono, 2005).
A researcher’s personality helps determine the selection of topics, intellectual approach and their ability in the field. An intellectual autobiography helps to clarify why researchers decided to study the topic they chose (Punch, 1994). The researcher of this study earned an undergraduate degree from the Teacher Education College of Gorontalo,
Indonesia, majoring in English teaching. She earned her Masters’ degree in Applied
Linguistics from the University of Sydney, Australia. Her previous research topics include: Feedback and Uptake in Language Learning, The Application of Genre-Based
Approach in Teaching Writing, and The Role of Instrumental Motivation in Increasing
Student’s Mastery of a Second Language, among other related interests.
Punch (1994) states that a researcher’s institutional background can be significant in opening the gate to the research setting. The reputation of the researchers’ institutional background can be of considerable importance in opening and closing the door. The researcher in this study is a faculty member of the English Education Department, of the 72 College of Letters and Culture, Universitas Negeri Gorontalo (UNG). From the years of 2003 to 2007, the researcher had the responsibility of heading the Center for Language
Training UNG. During that period of time, she had an opportunity to interact with many teachers from all parts of Gorontalo province. The Center provides the TOEFL test for these teachers. By 2006, the researcher was also appointed to a position as the head of the
English Department of UNG, in which one of the main responsibilities was to assure the quality of the graduates as English teachers. Besides teaching in the English Department
UNG, the researcher also served as an instructor of a Competence-Based Integrated
Training Project sponsored by the National Education Department. The researcher’s previous positions helped smooth the process of gaining the access needed for interviewing personnel in both the English Department of UNG and the National
Education Department of Gorontalo province.
The Center for Language Training of Universitas Negeri Gorontalo reported that approximately 95% of teachers who have taken the TOEFL test in the Center failed to reach the standard achievement score of 400 during the past 4 years (Universitas Negeri
Gorontalo, 2009). This deficit of scores suggests that a majority of EFL teachers in
Indonesia have low English proficiency.
The Participants
The participants in this research are classified into 4 categories as shown in Table
3.1, including EFL teachers, school principals, EFL teaching faculties, and the head of the National Education Department of Gorontalo. After an initial series of recruitments, four EFL teachers, one school principal, three English teaching faculties, and the Head of
National Education Department of Gorontalo city agreed to participate in this research. 73
Table 3.1
Interview Participants
Sample Categories Number of Participants
EFL teachers 4
School Principal 1
English Department’s Faculty Members 3
Head of National Education Department 1
Procedures
Recruitment of participants.
Gaining access and ethical issues are significant elements of a researchers’ role
(Creswell, 2006). Gaining access is a process. It includes obtaining consent from the setting, participants, and prior approval of consent documents and procedures related to the study (Glesne, 2006). If the research requires access to certain social or cultural settings or organizations, then it is important to build a good relationship with gatekeepers because they have the power to grant or deny the access needed (Glesne,
2006; Berg, 2007; Creswell, 2006). Seeking approval of “gatekeepers” might include providing a brief proposal prepared for their review. The proposal or the written letter should identify “the extent of time, the potential impact, and the outcomes for the research” (Creswell, 2006, p. 65). A Copy of approval from the Ohio University
Institutional Review Board is provided in Appendix A. 74 The participants in this research were recruited by utilizing both purposive sampling and convenience sampling. Berg (2007) argues that developing a purposive sample needs specific knowledge about some group to select specific subjects who represent the population. Purposive sampling was used in this research because the target participants selected were judged to be adequate sources of data needed to answer the research questions. A convenience sample, on the other hand, relies on available subjects or those who are close or easily accessible (Berg, 2007). After deciding the target prospective participants, the next step involved contacting the prospective participants who were close and had prior contact with the researcher.
Determining the EFL teachers who would participate in this research was based on the following considerations:
1. EFL teachers who teach in schools in the city of Gorontalo.
2. EFL teachers who graduated from English Department of Universitas Negeri
Gorontalo. The rationale is that the teachers’ EFL educational background should
include experience in English teaching and proficiency. Since the goal of ths
research is to understand EFL teachers’ opinions about the problem surrounding
EFL teaching in Gorontalo, it is important to limit the participants in this study to
those who graduated from the public university chosen in this research, which is
responsible for the quality of English teachers in Gorontalo, Indonesia. UNG was
chosen since it was the only public university in Gorontalo province that offers
English Teaching education. Sultan Amai Islamic college, which is also a public
college, only began to offer English teaching courses in 2007. Therefore, at the 75 time this research was conducted, there were no EFL teachers who had
graduated from this college.
3. EFL teachers who have more than six years of teaching experience prior to the
beginning of this research. Those teachers were chosen because they have
experienced the changes in the curriculum in Indonesia.
4. EFL teachers who had initial contact with the researcher prior to conducting the
research in Indonesia. Due to the time limit in conducting the field trip to the
research setting, a prior contact with the prospective participants was considered
crucial to assure the research was conducted on time. Therefore, contacting the
prospective participants before arriving at the setting would save time in the
recruitment process.
Based on the above considerations, two participants were contacted. They agreed to participate on the date and place decided. The total number of EFL teachers who finally participated in this research was four, each from a different school in the city of
Gorontalo, one middle school teacher and three high school teachers.
At the research settings, the school principals of each of the EFL teacher who participated in this research were first contacted. They were also asked about their availability to participate. Unfortunately, only one school principal agreed to be interviewed. The purpose of interviewing the school principals was to obtain information related to the curriculum policy, budget, and to confirm the data gained from the EFL teacher after the observation in the school.
The third category of participants was the English faculty members from the
English Department of Universitas Negeri Gorontalo and Sultan Amai Islamic College, 76 Gorontalo, Indonesia. Three English faculty members, two from the UNG and one from the Sultan Amai Islamic College, agreed to participate. They were asked to participate in this research in order to gain information about the integration of technology in English teaching classes in a higher education setting. Considering that only these two higher institutions offer English Teaching Study, most EFL teachers in
Gorontalo graduated and will graduate from these institutions. Thus, it is important to understand the integration of technology in curriculum and instruction in the English
Departments of both UNG and the Islamic College. The process of recruiting the English teaching faculty members included the following steps:
1. Contact the chair of the English Department of UNG and IAIN Sultan Amai
Gorontalo to ask permission to interview the faculty members from the
department.
2. Contact the faculty members to ask about their availability for an interview. Then,
decide and agree upon the time and place for the interview.
3. Conduct the interview.
Characteristics used to select English faculty members to participate in the research included:
1. Knowledge of the EFL curriculum in their institution.
2. Familiarity with the use of technology.
3. Initial contact with the researcher prior to the time of conducting this research.
In the first step of the recruitment process, the chair of the English Department of
UNG agreed to participate in the research in the capacity as both chair of the English department and as a faculty member. The second faculty member who agreed to 77 participate was also the director of the language laboratory at UNG. These two faculty members were chosen with the considerations that their positions as chair of a department and a director of a language laboratory would enrich the data gained on the topic of curriculum policy and the integration of technology in higher education institutions in
Gorontalo, Indonesia. One English faculty member of IAIN Sultan Amai Gorontalo also responded, who was the acting chair of computer center of the institute.
The last category of participants included the head of the National Education
Department of Gorontalo province. The Head of the National Education Department of
Gorontalo City was approached directly at his office. He agreed to be interviewed at that meeting. He was interviewed to obtain information related to the budget policy, EFL
Curriculum, and other policies related to the use of technology in education in Gorontalo.
Confidentiality.
Data collected in this research is stored in the researcher’s personal laptop computer, secured by a password. Pseudonyms have replaced the participants’ names. A digital copy of the codes is stored on an External Hard Drive that is also password protected. Only the researcher and dissertation advisor have access to the raw data. The data consists of interview transcriptions, in which the participants are known only by pseudonyms, and the translation of the transcriptions from Indonesian to English. All interviews were audio recorded with some video included. Some participants were reluctant to be video-recorded. The audio and video files were stored on a laptop and an external hard drive, which are both password-protected. They will be discarded after the completion of this study. In any written accounts in the research, the participants will remain anonymous in order to protect their identities. 78 Data collection.
Data collection in qualitative research requires a holistic approach. The process should be considered as an integration of different elements. Therefore, data collection does not only mean come, get, and go. Gaining access to the research setting, designing a well-thought-out question content and observation list, determining an approach for the interview, and setting up the interview are the integral parts that should be carefully and intensively planned before going into the field of research. The fundamental process is planning, listening, and analyzing. To reach this goal, it is significant to understand the qualitative school of thought from the beginning.
I began the data collection process before flying back to Gorontalo, Indonesia and
I completed them during the month of December 2009. One day after the approval of the dissertation proposal, I began to contact the prospective participants using an international phone connection and social network websites. I had two weeks after the proposal defense to prepare to depart to Indonesia for the data collection. Contacting the prospective participants prior to my departure to Indonesia, which was the setting of this research, was very important, considering that the time allocated for the data collection in
Indonesia was less than 30 days. This limitation was due to the fact that as a Fulbright grantee, I was not allowed to leave the United States for more than 30 days.
I contacted a number of teachers who are my friends on Facebook. I sent them a message asking whether they would be willing to participate in this research. Two teachers immediately responded. I followed up on their responses by calling them using an international phone connection. During the conversation, we decided upon an agreeable time and place to meet for the interviews and the observations. Inquiry letters 79 for using staff as subjects of this research were sent to the head of the National
Education Department and the chairs of English Department of both UNG and IAIN
Sultan Amai Gorontalo. The letters were sent about two weeks before my arranged arrival date to the research setting. I planned to meet these gatekeepers at their offices to discuss the letter and ask about the possibility of their participation in this research.
Approach.
This research employs a qualitative approach. Qualitative research has gained acknowledgement in all fields of study, even in the social sciences that highly values quantitative method. Glesne (2006) describes, “Learning to do qualitative research is like learning to paint” (p. 3). First you must study the masters. Next, learn the techniques and methods and practice them faithfully and finally adapt those techniques and methods to your own understanding when you have gained sufficient knowledge to describe the work of those who have influenced you.
It is important to know what qualitative data and findings look like, and also the criteria for judging the quality of qualitative data. Once the researcher has developed a question and has decided a setting in which the research will be conducted, the participant and the period of time to undertake the study, he or she should decide what data collection strategy(s) are best related to the goal of the research. Researchers should have sufficient understanding regarding the approach in relation to qualitative research.
“Qualitative research has left its mark conceptually and theoretically in social science, the field in which quantitative research receives the greatest acknowledgements”
(Berg, 2007, pp. 2-3). However, qualitative research practices are sometimes criticized for being nonscientific and invalid. These critics abandon the notion that some qualitative 80 research projects might have simply been poorly conducted. However, it does not necessarily mean the entire theory should be dismissed because of inadequately applied method strategies while conducting qualitative research (Berg, 2007). Therefore, to avoid misinterpretation of the qualitative research school of thought, one should attempt to delve deeper into the understanding before criticizing the technique.
Qualitative study designs are generally focused on “in-depth, long term interactions with relevant people in one or several sites” (Glesne, 2006, p. 5). Therefore, qualitative researchers should seek to understand and interpret how the various participants in social settings construct the world around them. Furthermore, to make a trustworthy interpretation “researchers must gain access to the multiple perspectives of the participants” (Glesne, 2006, pp. 4-5).
Creswell (2006, p. 181), who based his opinions on the thoughts of Rosman and
Rallis (1998), mentions that qualitative research takes places in a natural setting. The qualitative researcher often goes to the site of the participant to conduct the research. This enables researchers to be more detailed about the individual or setting and to be more engaged in the participants’ actual experiences.
When it comes to methodology used in qualitative research, some authors agree that multiple methods can be used. Denzin (1978) claims, “the multiple-methods approach is the generic form of the qualitative approach”. Generally, qualitative research uses “multiple methods that are interactive and humanistic” (Creswell, 2006, p. 181).
Berg (2007, p. 5) argues that every method used in qualitative research is a
“different line of sight” which points toward the same direction, observing social culture and its symbolic reality. The use of multiple lines of sight is frequently called 81 triangulations. Researchers will obtain a more substantive picture of reality and develop sounder theoretical concepts by combining several lines of sights. It can also be a means to verify those elements (Berg, 2007). Triangulation actually represents a variety of data, investigators, theories, and methods. Denzin (1978) summarizes these four categories as follows:
“(1) Data triangulation has three subtypes: (a) time, (b) space, and (c) person.
Person analysis, in turn, has three levels: (a) aggregate, (b) interactive, (c)
collective. (2) An investigator’s triangulation consists of using multiple rather
than single observations of the same object. (3) Theory triangulation consists of
using multiple rather than simple perspectives in relation to the same set of
objects. (4) Methodological triangulation can entail within-method triangulation
and between-method triangulation” (p. 295).
Patton (2002) is also in agreement that triangulation strengthens a study by combining methods. It is the ideal, but it requires a great deal of time and a large amount of money. Thus, the amount of the research budget will affect the amount of triangulation. Patton (2002) further argues, “triangulation within qualitative inquiry strategy can be attained by combining interviewing and observations” (p. 247).
Triangulation allows researchers to offer varied perspectives other than their own.
Additionally, it can potentially lead to a better understanding of organizational theory
(Borman, LeCompte, & Goetz, 1986; LeCompte & Praissle, 1993; Berg, 2007). Denzin
(1978) concluded that: 82 No single method will ever meet the requirements of interaction theory. While
participant observation permits the careful recording of situations and
selves, it does not offer direct data on the wider spheres of influence acting
on those observed. Because each method reveals different aspects of
empirical reality, multiple methods of observations must be employed.
This is termed Triangulation (p. 28).
Based on the foregoing conclusion, the novice researchers are instructed in the use of research strategies in one study/investigation. Therefore, the use of multiple research design strategies and theories increases the depth of understanding that the investigation can produce (Berg, 2007).
Data collection instruments.
Denzin and Lincoln (2000) state that the strategy used for data collection can be a combination of observation, interview, and document analysis. Likewise, Patton (2002) also states that data collection in qualitative research may consist of in-depth open-ended interviews, direct observation, and analysis of written documents. Creswell (2006), indicates that data collection procedures of qualitative research involves not only observations, interviews, and documents, but also includes audio and visual material as a part of the qualitative data collection.
Data in this research was collected using interview, observation, and analysis of documentary materials. The interviews were used to gain data about the educators’ perspectives toward the application of school-based curriculum and the integration of technology in EFL teaching. Observations were used to assess the types of technology 83 available to schools where the participants teach, and the kind of technology used in the EFL teaching process.
Interview.
Interviewing is a process (Glesnee, 2006; Patton, 2002; Berg, 2007). Interviewing is not merely the process of asking questions and hearing answers between interviewer and interviewee. Instead, interviewing is the integration of a whole process including the preparation, setting up the interview, and the data recording. These related elements affect the truthfulness of data gained in an interview process. It begins with a preparation stage which consists of determining the approach to be used, and developing the content of the questions, followed by setting up the interview where agreement is reached as to where, when, how long, and how often the interviews will be held, and finally deciding what kind of notes will be used in recording the data. The whole interview process influences the outcome of the interview and the research.
Interviews in this research were conducted in each participant’s school or work place, over a period of 4 weeks. The interviews were recorded by using a Sony digital audio recorder and Flip Mino digital camcorder because these devices are technically reliable to assure the accuracy of the data recorded. To avoid distractions, the audio device was located discretely on a table, and the video device was attached to a tripod and located at a reasonable distance that would not distract the participant’s attention during the interview process. If the participants agreed, both devices were used. All participants agreed to be audio-recorded. However, some declined to be video-recorded during their interview. 84 Berg (2007) identified three major categories of interview structures: the standardized interview, the un-standardized interview, and the semi standardized interview. A standardized interview uses “a formally structured of an interview schedule”
(p. 92); the questions are usually created by researchers before beginning the interview and they remain unchanged during the interview process. Glesne (2006) refers to this as structured interviewing, and then goes on to characterize the un-standardized interview as the opposite of standardized interviews.
Berg (2007) suggested that in an un-standardized interview, the interviewer begin with the basic assumption that they have no information in advance of the necessary questions to ask; they are merely “located on the imaginary continuum” in the mind of the researcher (P. 94). On the other hand, the questions might also emerge during the interview process; they might add or replace the pre-designed ones. In a semi- standardized interview, researchers are not bound by the pre-established questions. The questions can be adjusted based on the course of the interview. Glesne (2006) argues that a semi-standardized “process of question formation is the more likely and the more ideal one in qualitative inquiry” (p. 79).
Patton (2002), similarly, mentions three basic approaches in interviewing: the informal conversational interview, the general interview guide approach, and the standardized open-ended interview. The first approach relies on the spontaneous and natural flow of the interaction. In the second approach, the checklist of an outline of issues is provided in order to make sure that all topics needed are covered. In contrast from the first and second approach, the standardized open-ended interview consists of a set of questions that have been designed carefully, especially in wording, because in this 85 approach it is important to minimize any variation. The intention of this approach is to ask questions of different participants using “essentially the same words” (p. 342).
This research employed a semi-standardized interview structure (Berg, 2007) with a general interview guide approach (Patton, 2002). The interview questions were designed in the form of a list of topic questions. The topic questions were designed for each of the target levels of participants: EFL teachers, school principals, English faculties, and the Head of the National Education Department of Gorontalo Province (see
Appendix B for the list of topic questions of the interview). As questions emerge during the interview process, the researcher may add or replace the pre-designed ones.
Researchers are not tied to pre-established questions, even though the topic questions can be helpful in guiding the flow of the interview. Likewise, the order of the topic questions could be adjusted based on the course of the interview.
Observation.
Understanding the research questions is important before deciding to use observation as a data collection method. In other words, the research questions will determine whether using methods of observation is the best way of collecting the data to answer the questions (Denzin & Lincoln, 2005; Glesne, 2006; Patton, 2002). The decision to use observation is followed by the analysis of the kind of data needed from the observations. The understanding of the needs will lead researchers to decide the focus of the observation.
The aim of this research is to understand the perspectives of the educators in
Gorontalo concerning current efforts to implement a decentralized curriculum and their perspectives on the integration of technology in EFL teaching in Gorontalo, Indonesia. 86 Direct observation was needed to obtain the information about the availability of technology in schools in Gorontalo city, Indonesia.
An observation checklist was designed to inventory the kind of technology provided in the school, and the use of technology in the EFL classroom (see appendix C for the observation checklist). Seven categories of items were observed:
1. The availability of technology in the school, which includes both hardware and
software.
2. The availability of Internet access, and whether the speed is slow, medium, or
fast.
3. The availability of technicians (Information Technology people) separate from
teachers experienced with technology.
4. The availability of the budget money to provide technological equipment.
5. The management of the technology used. This means an investigation as to
whether the uses of technology equipment in the school were managed well, for
example, whether the schedule provided to use the equipment was managed well.
6. The list of technology used in the school.
7. The list of technology used in EFL classroom.
The observations were conducted at the time when the researcher visited each school to interview the participants. The interviewees served as tour guides when the researcher observed the school’s available technology. A discussion and detailed description accompanied each of the observation. The interviewees also helped to facilitate any communication with other teachers (non EFL teacher) who are responsible for the school’s equipment. After conducting the whole-building observations, the 87 interviewee then lead the researcher to his/her classroom. The following was observed in each classroom: the availability of technology, whether the teacher used the technology, and what kind of technology he/she used. Only three of the four interviewees agreed to be observed while teaching.
Document analysis.
Qualitative research methodology requires researchers to indicate the type of data to be collected during data collection procedures. Documentation is one of the data types besides observation, interview and audio/visual materials. The document can be public documents such as newspapers, minutes of meetings or official reports. Private documents would include for example personal journals and diaries, letters and e-mails
(Creswell, 2003).
Lincoln and Guba (1985) differentiate documents and records on the basis of preparedness to verify some formal transaction. They argue that records include marriage certificates, driving licenses, building contracts, and banking statements. On the other hand, documents created for personal rather than official reasons include diaries, memos, letters, field notes and other personal documents. Furthermore, eventhough both records and documents are used interchangeably, it is still important to be concerned with the distinction between them. They argues that in relevance to a qualitative research, researchers are most likely to gain access to documents rather than to records, because
“records may be restricted by laws regarding privacy, confidentiality, and anonymity.”
(p. 704).
While Lincoln and Guba (1985) make a distinction between documents and records, Patton (2002) used all the characteristics of a record to define a document. He 88 states that document could be “written materials and other documents from organizational, clinical, or programs records; memoranda and correspondence; official publications and reports; personal diaries, letters, artistic works, photographs, and memorabilia; and written responses to open-ended surveys.” (p. 4).
On the other hand, Glesne (2006) classifies some potentially useful current written documents for qualitative research. They are diaries, letters, memoranda, graffiti, notes, memorials on tombstones, scrapbooks, membership lists, newsletters, newspapers, and computer-accessed bulletin boards. Glesne (2006) also includes historical documents such as letters, memoirs and wills and even goes so far as to include photographs and artifacts.
A study of social phenomena involves the use of historical documents and written records of the past, including diaries, letters, newspapers, census tract data, novels and other popular literature, and cultural documents. All of these are considered historical documents (Denzin & Lincoln, 2000). By the same token, Glesne (2006) suggests that in order to understand a phenomenon, we need to know the history behind it. A historical research can be a qualitative research project in itself, particularly when we talk with people who participated in some historical events and get their own oral histories (Glesne
2006).
The goal of using document analysis instruments in this research is to gain information on the paperwork related to the implementation of KTSP in Gorontalo. The paperworks were included but not limited to the guidance of implementing the KTSP, the laws and legislation related to the decentralization of education in Indonesia, and the syllabus and materials and other paperwork which were required for teachers to prepare. 89 The time-line.
Data collection began in the first week of December 2009. A timeline of the plan for the research, beginning with procedures for gaining access up through the completion of the data collection, is outlined in Table 3.2.
Table 3.2
Data Collection Timeline
Data Collection Process Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Gaining Access Recruiting Participants Interview (initial) Observation
As noted in Table 3.2, week 1 of December 2009 was used to gain access from the employers of the prospective participants in this research. Upon the arrival to the research field, in Gorontalo City, I began contacting the participants and confirming the date and place that had been decided in our previous telephone conversation. Week 3 and
4 were fully used for the interview process along with the observations. The detailed procedures and process of the research conducted are outlined in Figure 3. 90
◄ November ~ December 2009 ~ January ► Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 5 Leave the US Arrived in Arrived in Jakarta, Gorontalo Indonesia
6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Meeting with Meeting with Meeting with Meeting with Meeting with the Head of the Head of the principal of the principal of the staff of English English School 1 School 2 Head 2* Department in Department in the university the Islamic college
13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Interview Interview Interview Interview Teacher 1 Teacher 3 Head 1 (the Faculty 2 Principle) Observe Observe Observe Lab School 1 School 3 in the university Copy Copy documents documents 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 Meeting with Interview Interview Interview Interview the principal of Faculty 1 Teacher 2 Head 2 Teacher 4 School 4 Observe Copy Copy School 2 documents documents
Copy documents 27 28 29 30 31 Interview Leave Arriving in the Faculty 3 Indonesia to US the US Observe Lab in College
Figure 3. The Interview and Observation Schedule 91
Data Analysis
The data analysis process for this study employed a case study approach. Berg
(2007, p. 283) defines case study as a "method involving systematically gathering of enough information about a particular person, social setting, event, or group to permit the researcher to effectively understand how the subject operates or functions". With a case study approach "the researcher explores in depth a program, an event, an activity, a process, or one or more individuals" (Creswell, 2003, p. 15). Yin (2003) also defines case study as a method of choice when the phenomenon under study may be a project or evaluation of study. Thus, because this research aims to explore and gain information and understanding of the EFL teaching process through the curriculum and the use of technology, the case study method was chosen as the preferred approach for data analysis. The approach taken in this research will describe the case of teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) from two points of interest, first, from the implementation of the newest curriculum (KTSP), and second, from the integration of technology in the classroom.
Yin (2003) argues that a case study can be based on single or multiple cases.
Whether single or multiple, the case study method can be exploratory, descriptive, or explanatory (causal). The exploratory method is aimed at defining the questions and hypotheses of a subsequent study although not necessarily as a case study, or at determining the feasibility of the desired research procedures. A descriptive case study presents complete descriptions of a phenomenon within its context. An explanatory case 92 study presents data bearing on cause and effect relationships or explaining how events happened.
Case studies are also particularistic, descriptive, and heuristic (Merriam, 1998).
They are particularistic in that they center on “a particular situation, event, program, or phenomenon” (p. 29). A case study is descriptive because the result of a case study is a very detailed and a thorough description of the item under study.
Data analysis in this study will employ a descriptive multiple-case design. Two case accounts will be developed to illustrate the challenges in EFL teaching in Gorontalo,
Indonesia. The first is the implementation of the recent curriculum change (KTSP), and second is the integration of technology in EFL teaching In Gorontalo, Indonesia.
The cases in this study will be constructed using a step-wise design described by
Patton (2002). The process consists of three steps:
Step 1: Assemble the raw case.
These data consist of the information collected about the person, program,
organization, or setting for which a case is to be written.
Step 2: Construct the case record.
This step is optional, depending on the complexity of data and the case. This is a
condensation of the raw case data organized, classified, and edited into a
manageable and accessible file.
Step 3: Write a final case study narrative.
The case study is a readable, descriptive picture of or story about a person,
program, organization, and so forth, making accessible to the reader all
information necessary to understand the case in all its uniqueness. The case story 93 can be told chronologically or presented thematically and sometimes both. The
case study offers a holistic portrayal, presented with any context necessary for
understanding the case. (p. 450).
Once the raw case data has been accumulated, the researcher writes the case record. The case record classifies and organizes the huge amount of data into a comprehensive primary data package. The case record is then used to construct the case study that can be shared with the intended audience (Patton, 2002).
Assemble the raw case.
The raw data is classified into three groups. The data gained from the interview, from the observations, and from the document analysis. In the process, the interviews are transcribed to get the print version of the interview. Considering that the interviews are mostly conducted in Indonesian, translation into English was also required for the convenience of the English-speaking advisor and the dissertation committee members.
The data from the interviews, observations, and documents are re-read and interpreted to decide the codes to classify the answers from each participant. The codes are mostly rooted to the topic questions asked during the interview process. This study employs a case study analysis. Thus to develop the cases, I decided to classify the data on the implementation of KTSP and the data on the integration of technology.
The data from the observations are classified into two categories, one is the availability of technology in each school, and second is the use of technology in classroom interactions. The types of technology used during classrooms interactions were also observed and recorded. 94 Construct the case report.
The raw data at this stage was organized, classified, and edited into a manageable and accessible file. During this stage, the answers from each participant to the questions asked in the interviews were grouped together into a certain classification. The classifications listed are based on the topic questions and their content. This approach means that several questions can be asked in order to gather information on one particular topic question. After re-reading all the participants’ answers, 7 topic questions were used to classify the data in the implementation of KTSP in EFL teaching, and 10 topic questions were used to classify data in the integration of technology in EFL teaching (see
Appendix E for the data classification).
Write a final case study narrative.
At this stage, the condensation of the raw data is turned into a case report, and later is described, illustrated, and explained chronologically for the sake of the understanding of the cases presented in this research. Thus, in this research, the first case is the implementation of KTSP in EFL teaching and the second case is the integration of technology in EFL teaching.
95
Chapter 4: Findings and Discussions
The purpose in this chapter is to present the findings in this research. This chapter begins with a summary of the participants’ backgrounds and professional roles. The findings begin with the presentation of data on the implementation of KTSP, including
EFL teachers’ opinion towards the changes in the curriculum in Indonesia, and the problems surrounding the implementation of the new curriculum.
Findings related to the integration of technology in EFL teaching in Gorontalo
City include the participants’ responses on the topic questions surrounding the integration of technology in Indonesia and their perspectives towards the future use of technology in
EFL teaching.
Participants’ Background and Professional Roles
Understanding participants’ backgrounds is important in analyzing and reporting data (Patton, 2003; Berg, 2007; Creswell, 2003). In the entire qualitative research process, researchers must stay focused on learning what the participants know about the problem or issue, and not the meaning that the researcher brings to the research or writers from the literature (Creswell, 2007). In this research, understanding the participants’ backgrounds and professional roles helped to determine and understand the meaning of the participants’ answers to the questions asked during the research process.
For the sake of confidentiality, pseudonyms were used to replace the participants’ names in this research. A digital copy of the codes of the pseudonyms was stored on an
External Hard Drive that was password protected. Pseudonyms were assigned on the basis of professional roles, position and/or primary places of work, and in the order of 96 their responses to the participants’ recruitment. The EFL teacher participants are referred to as Teacher 1, 2, 3, and 4. The faculty members are referred to as Faculty 1,
Faculty 2, and Faculty 3. The school principal is referred as Head 1, and the head of the
National Education Department of Gorontalo City is referred as Head 2. The complete summary of the participants’ background and professional roles is presented in Table 4.1. 97 Table 4.1
Summary of Participants’ Background and Professional Roles
Pseudonym Gender School/Work Position Education Experience Place Teacher 1 M School 1 EFL teacher B.Ed in 9 years English Teaching Teacher 2 F School 2 EFL teacher Bachelor in 10 years English Teaching (currently enrolled in master’s program) Teacher 3 F School 3 EFL teacher Master of 9 years Education in English Teaching Teacher 4 M School 4 EFL teacher Master of Education in English 10 years Teaching Faculty1 M Public University Faculty Master of Art 8 years member in Applied Linguistics Faculty 2 M Public University Head/ Master of 12 years Faculty Education member Faculty 3 M The College Faculty Master of 8 years member Humaniora in Language Head 1 M School 1 Principal Master of Education (Currently enrolled in Ph.D program) Head 2 M National Head Master of Education Education Department office
98 Table 4.1 shows each participant’s background and current professional roles.
The background information consists of gender, education, and teaching experience. The
Participants’ professional information includes their work places or schools where they teach and their professional positions.
The first EFL teacher that agreed to participate in this research is hereinafter referred to as Teacher 1. He is a middle school teacher, and has been teaching English for nine years. He earned his bachelor’s degree in English Teaching from the Teacher and
Education College of Gorontalo. Teacher 1 found that teaching English was fascinating and said that he did not find any significant problems with teaching English. After the interview process, Teacher 1 suggested to me that I interview another EFL teacher. This teacher, hereinafter is referred to as Teacher 4, has a Bachelor’s degree in English
Teaching and a Master’s degree in education, and has been teaching English for about ten years. He has experience teaching in a middle school, high school and vocational school, and has recently been appointed to be the head of the language laboratory in his school.
Another EFL teacher that responded to the participant recruitment was a high school teacher, she is hereinafter referred to as Teacher 2. She has been teaching English for about ten years in one of the public high schools in Gorontalo. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English teaching and a Master’s degree in Education. At the initial contact with her, she had recommended another EFL teacher to be interviewed in this research, because this teacher was the leader of the EFL teachers’ network in the city of Gorontalo, whom she thought could give valuable information related to my research. The teacher is hereinafter referred to as Teacher 3. She has been teaching English for nine years. She has a Bachelor’s degree in English teaching and has taught in a vocational school in 99 Gorontalo since she graduated from the Teacher Training and Education College of
Gorontalo. She has been the chair of MGMP (Teachers Network Program) of English teachers for about two years.
The principals were also invited to participate at the time when I asked for permission to recruit the EFL teacher in their schools. One principal responded, he is hereinafter referred to as Head 1. He is a principal in one of the middle schools in
Gorontalo, the school where Teacher 1 teaches. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Religion, a Master’s degree in Education and is currently enrolled in a doctorate program in
Education Administration. Head 1 has no experience in teaching English, but his experience as a principal is a valuable source for gaining data about policy and budgeting.
The English faculty member that first responded to participate in this research was hereinafter referred to as Faculty 1. He is one of the faculty members in the English
Department at the College of Letters and Culture, of a university in Gorontalo. He holds a
Bachelor’s degree in English Teaching and a Master’s degree in Applied Linguistics, and currently holds a position as the head of the language laboratory of the College of
Language and Culture of the University. He was the former head of the language center for the university before being appointed to this position.
Recruiting Faculty 1 as a participant in this research required permission from the chair of the English Department where he currently works as one of the faculty members.
The Head of the Department, hereinafter referred to as Faculty 2, was also asked about his availability to participate in this research. He agreed to be interviewed in his capacity as both the head of the department and as an English faculty member. He has been 100 teaching English in the department for about eleven years, and holds a Bachelor’s degree in English literature and a Master’s degree in English Teaching.
Another English faculty member that participated in this research is one of the
English faculty members in an Islamic College in Gorontalo. He is hereinafter referred to as Faculty 3. He has been teaching English for about 8 years, and holds a Bachelor’s degree in English Teaching and a Master’s degree in Linguistics. He was appointed as the head of computer lab at the college in 2008 and currently holds this same position.
Another target participant in this research was, hereinafter referred to as Head 2, the Head of National Education Department of Gorontalo. He was previously a principal in one of the vocational schools in Gorontalo. Similar to Head 1, the principal who participated in this research, Head 2 has no experience in teaching English, but his experience was a valuable source for gaining data about policy and budgeting.
In summary, the participant group in this research consists of two females and seven males. Almost all participants hold a Master’s degree, only two had a Bachelor’s degrees, and were in the process of completing their Master’s degree when this research was conducted. All EFL teachers participated in this research teach in schools in
Gorontalo city. The teaching experiences of the EFL teacher participants range from nine to ten years. The EFL faculty members teaching experence range from eight to twelve years. Only the principal and the authority who participated in this research had no experience in English teaching, However, both are experienced teaching their field of study for more than fifteen to twenty years. 101 The Interview Setting and context
It was the first week of December 2009 when I arrived in the research field and the research process started right away. The settings where the interviews and the observations were conducted are summarized in Table 4.2. 102 Table 4.2
The Interview and Observation Setting
Pseudonym Interview Setting Observation Sites Interview Time Teacher 1 School 1. At the School 1: Language lab, 32 minutes 8 school’s hall Multimedia room, seconds Computer lab of School 1 Teacher 2 School 2. At the School 2: Language lab, 27 minutes teacher’s lounge then Multimedia lab. continued at the language lab. Teacher 3 School 3, at the School 3: language lab, 36 minutes 47 teacher’s room computer labs. seconds Teacher 4 At his home School 4: Language lab. 21 minutes 50 seconds Faculty1 At a restaurant English Department of 20 minutes 16 the University seconds Faculty 2 At his office At language and 11 minutes 2 computer laboratories of seconds the University Faculty 3 At his home Language laboratory of 23 minutes 23 the College seconds Head 1 School 1. At his office 37 minutes 51 second Head 2 In his office at the 31 minutes 53 National Education seconds Department of Gorontalo City.
Table 4.2 shows the interview places and the locations being observed, and the length of the interview time. The range of the interview times was from 11 minutes to 37 minutes. Most participants preferred the interview to be conducted in their schools and offices, in this case, the observations were conducted before each interview process.
Faculty 1 preferred to meet over lunch in a restaurant, because that was the only time he had for the interview that week. Two other participants, Faculty 3 and Teacher 4, 103 preferred to be interviewed in their own homes, because the time conflicted with their teaching schedules. In this case, the observation was conducted after the interview.
The first agenda to do in the research field was to meet the gatekeepers. I met the head of English Department in the office in the middle of office hours. We discussed the possibility for him to participate in this research, and I asked permission for using one of his faculty members to participate in this research. Fortunately, he agreed to participate and was fully supportive of my inquiry. At the meeting, we also decided the time to meet for the interview. I finally interviewed him in his office two weeks after our initial meeting.
The next day, after meeting the head of English Department of the University, I met the head of English Department of the College. Unfortunately, he declined my proposal for him participate in this research. However, he responded positively on the inquiry to use one of his faculty members to participate in this research.
On the same week, I also met with the principal of School 1and School 2. The reason for meeting these principals was because one EFL teacher in their schools had responded to participate in this research and therefore permission from them was needed.
The meeting was also used to ask their availability to participate in this research. The principal of School 1 was available to participate, while the other principal was not able to participate. However, both granted their permission to observe the schools and to interview the EFL teachers.
The plan to meet the head of the National Education Department of Gorontalo
City on the same week was postponed because he was out of the office at a meeting with the Governor of Gorontalo. However, I met his staff to work out a time on his schedule 104 so that I could make an appointment with him another day. I finally got a convenient date and place. I was scheduled to meet with him two weeks from that day. At the day and the time of the appointment, he was not there again. This was typical of a prominent person in Indonesia. After waiting for about two hours, he came back to his office. He finally agreed to participate and was ready to be interviewed at the same time. Yet, he wanted to have the list of the questions. While scanning the question list, he told me to interview his staff whom he said had more knowledge about technology. However, I ensured him that the interview was not aimed at investigating his knowledge on technology, but more on his policies toward the integration of technology in schools in
Gorontalo City. He finally agreed to be interviewed, and the result was positive and productive as expected.
Data Analysis Process
Audio recordings of the interviews were transcribed and translated from
Indonesian into English. Participants varied in the amount of English use during the interviews. All participants were interviewed using both Indonesian and English. They were told at the beginning of the interview to use either English or Indonesian or both during the interview. All EFL teacher participants used both English and Indonesian during the interview. They switched to the Indonesian language when difficulty to express their ideas in English occurred during the interview. All EFL faculty members used English the entire time during the interview. Both the principal and the head of the
Department of National Education of Gorontalo City used only Indonesian language. All interviews were first transcribed, and then all transcriptions in the Indonesian language were translated into English by and independent translator. 105
For the purpose of better reader comprehension, the participants’ interview responses quoted in this chapter were grammatically corrected with a maximum effort to avoid deviation from their original meaning when written in the English translation version of the transcriptions. A sample of transcriptions, both the Indonesian version and the English translation version, are available in Appendix D.
All transcriptions were analyzed and classified by the topic questions. Tables were used to manage the data based on the participants’ responses to each topic question.
Two tables were framed, the first table contained the classification of the data on the implementation of KTSP and tables that follow contained the classification of the data on the integration of technology in EFL teaching.
Implementing KTSP in EFL Instructions
KTSP requires teachers to be able to design a curriculum in collaboration with the school administration, the National Education Department or each district, the Parent board and stakeholders. Based on the interviews, it was understood that teachers in
Gorontalo faced issues and challenges in order to be able to implement this new curriculum. The summaries of the participants’ responses on the topic of implementation of KTSP in EFL Instruction are presented in table 4.3.
Table 4.3
EFL Teachers’ Responses on the Topics of the Implementation of KTSP in EFL instructions.
Pseudonyms CBC vs. KTSP Implementation of KTSP in EFL Teachers Access to instructional EFL Curriculum Proficiency facilities Teacher 1 There is no significant Found no significant problems. Admitted that he often made His school has the instructional difference between KTSP There is book of curriculum with mistakes when teaching, and aides he needs. with the previous standards of competence, teachers needed training to increase his curriculum. If there is a should design materials and proficiency difference it is only on decide the indicators based on certain terms those standards Training specifically focused on increasing English proficiency
Increasing English proficiency through seminars Teacher 2 KTSP is not so difficult. Limited facilities that would help Facilities should support the Teacher should be more in designing teaching materials implementation of the new creative in designing the curriculum teaching materials Teacher 3 KTSP gives autonomy to The final test is still centralized Most of her counterparts school level to design (National exam). It means that the realized that they have low She could not provide better curriculum items being tested in the exam are proficiency in English teaching materials for her students, the same all over Indonesia because she did not have enough Offers TOEIC as a solutions money to copy it for them Teacher 4 The new curriculum is still It does not suitable with students’ Teachers lack ability to designed by people in the ability. explain the lesson central government. Gap between the basic Teachers should have general Teachers design the competencies and the students’ knowledge and ability teaching materials ability. Teachers’ English proficiency Continue to study to the master’s level can be one of the solutions to increase teachers’ proficiency
Table 4.3 presents summary of the EFL teacher participants’ responses on the topic of implementing KTSP in EFL Instructions. Each topic questions were designed to obtain information needed to better understand the differences between KBK and KTSP based on the participants’ responses, and their opinion toward the implementation of both curriculums. The topic questions were also designed to gather information concerning the issues and challenges faced by the participants in impelementing KTSP in EFL instructions.
Regarding the differences between the previous curriculum (KBK) and the present curriculum (KTSP), the participants’ responses to this question would be used as a reference to their understanding about the implementation of the new curriculum. The researcher assumed that by asking this question, the participants would be able to explain the strength and the weaknesses of KTSP as compared to the previous one.
The EFL teacher participants in this research, in general, reported that there was little or no significant difference between KBK and KTSP. One exception was that, in
KTSP, teachers are obligated to design teaching materials and the indicators of achievements, whereas in the previous curriculum, both materials and the indicators had already been provided. For example, one of the EFL teacher participants provided the following response about the difference between KBK and KTSP:
Based on my experience, actually there is no difference between KTSP
and the previous curriculum. However, what makes KTSP better is that
everything has been designed by the government, such as the standard of
competences. Our job is just to formulate the achievement indicators. But, 108
basically the curriculum is similar”. (Teacher 1, personal communication,
December 15, 2009)
His answer was contradicted with the procedure that when using the new national curriculum (KTSP) teachers should be able to create their own curriculum (BNSP, 2006).
In his answer, Teacher 1 clearly stated that the government had designed the curriculum.
To confirm his answer, the question was re-arranged, reminding him of the fact that teachers in collaboration with the school administration, government, and the parents’ board should design the curriculum. His answer to that question was as follows:
I think it does not mean that way. Teachers are not designing the
curriculum, because it has been provided by the government, such as the
standards of competences, teachers only formulate the indicators of
achievement. (Teacher1, personal communication, December 15, 2009)
By interpreting his statement above, it was predicted that teachers might not be given authority to design the curriculum, thus the question about whether they were given any authority to design their own curriculum was asked during the interview. Teacher 1 added,
If we compare it with the previous curriculum, there is no difference. With
KTSP, it also has a book where everything has been regulated and
designed such as syllabus and lesson plans. English, especially, has a book
with standard competencies that cannot be changed because it has been
designed by DIKNAS. (personal communication, December 15, 2009) 109
These responses were similar to another EFL teacher. When asked whether teachers were given authority to design curriculum, the teacher responded:
It is not the curriculum that has been decided…or composed by teachers,
but they (people in the central government) who have given the basic
competencies or standard competencies that should be achieved by
students. Teachers only follow basic competencies to design teaching
materials based on that. (Teacher 4, personal communication, December
26, 2009)
On the other hand, two other participants, Teacher 2 and Teacher 3, responded by saying that teachers should design the curriculum. However, because of this obligation, they faced other obstacles. As quoted below, Teacher 3 mentioned that although schools and teachers were given the authority to design the teaching materials, a big gap emerged between the school curriculum and the National Examination. Schools and teachers were urged to design their own materials based on the local potential and the students’ needs.
But, by the end of the process, they faced the national examination, which was uniform for all students in all provinces of Indonesia. The problem was, students’ ability, characteristics, and needs were different among provinces due to the uniqueness, potential, and character of each province.
KTSP gives authority to the school to arrange their curriculum by
themselves. But, at the end of the learning process is the National
Examination, and the items of the test are the same for all schools. So,
how will we know that our test ...what we have given to the students are 110
the same as what would have been given to students in other schools
especially those in the central government. That will create a gap between
the quality of the students in Jakarta and Gorontalo for instance, because
they are different, we could not make the same test for all students.
(Teacher 3, personal communication, December 16, 2009)
Another obstacle was pointed out by Teacher 2, that KTSP forced teachers to be more creative, though at the same time they were not supported by adequate teaching facilities, such as instructional media. She further argued that the new curriculum forced teachers to be more creative in designing the materials with the very limited resources provided.
Besides asking the question about the difference between KTSP and KBK, the
EFL teacher participants were also encouraged to disclose any problems they faced in implementing this new curriculum. The question asked was whether they found it difficult to implement KTSP compared to the previous curriculum.
Teacher 2 admitted that applying KTSP was actually not difficult when they were supported with adequate teaching resources, he states, “Actually applying the KTSP is not so difficult, but it depends on the school facilities because sometimes we find a problem if there was no available source of materials and media to use in the classroom”
(Teacher 2, personal communiation, December 23, 2009).
Likewise, Teacher 1 confidently stated that he has no problem implementing the new curriculum, because the curriculum guide has been provided by the government for 111 teachers, and they only need to design the indicators and the materials. When asked whether he faced any problem in preparing the teaching materials, he answered:
The lesson plans that we use now are a new model, this one is better
because the topics and homework have been decided; therefore, the time
can be managed well…We have been given enough time to design our
teaching material before the teaching and learning process begins. So, I
have no problem. (Teacher 1, personal communication, December 15,
2009)
One teacher participant highlighted the absence of synchronization between the ability of the middle schools’ output with the standard of competency determined by the central government.
Teachers should meet the standard competency in designing teaching
materials …meanwhile for us who teach in Senior High, we receive
students from middle school who cannot deal with the basic competencies
at a senior high level, whereas in fact they should be able to deal with
it…for example they should be able to introduce their name, occupation,
tell about their family, which in fact they cannot do even though they are
already at a senior high level. (Teacher 4, personal communication,
December 26, 2009)
Teacher 4 was underpinning this missing link as a major challenge in implementing the new curriculum because it was difficult to design materials that would match both the students’ ability as well as the standard of competencies required by the 112 government. Students who graduated from middle school were expected to master a certain level of English competency in order to be ready to learn English at the high school level, whereas in reality, their ability was far below the standard.
On the other hand, Teacher 3 admitted that she was overwhelmed with the requirements of the new curriculum because they had to design their own materials and determine the achievement indicators. They were overloaded with work that they had never been required to do before because the previous curriculum had provided both materials, such as textbooks, as well as the indicators of achievement.
You know, actually I am a teacher who does not like to prepare so many
unimportant documents to teach, you know we have to prepare more
administration work… we have to complete our administration
documents, it takes more time and its tiring you know?…at the same time
we have to prepare our media, if I ask you which one will you choose?
Will you prepare your media or do administration works?. (Teacher 3,
personal communication, December 16, 2009).
Teacher 3 was complaining about the unbearable paper work they have to prepare for teaching. Beside lesson plans and teaching materials, the paper work also consists of
PROTA, PROSEM, assessments, and a syllabus. PROTA is the Annual Program, whereas PROSEM is a Semester program. This means that they should design both an annual program and a semester program. She argued that, teachers should not be overloaded with unimportant paper work. Preparing teaching materials and media was more important than those. 113
Today the supervisor came here, she examined the documents we had to
prepare, but how could we prepare things like this? It takes a lot of time, I
have to copy these (she shows me some paper works) …for me the
(teaching) material is enough…we will compose it…as far as we know
and provide it….(Teacher 3, personal communication, December 16,
2009).
She further stated that her job to prepare all the paper work is even tougher, because she had to divide her time between work and family. She regretted that she had to sacrifice her time with her family because of the extra work demands.
The paper work or document that should be prepared by EFL teachers was a three hundred-page bundle that they had to prepare at the beginning of each academic year for
EFL teaching. It is called the Procedures of Learning Program Arrangement. It consisted of:
1. Academic calendar
2. Annual program (PROTA)
3. Semester program (PROSEM)
4. Teaching program calendar
5. Syllabus
6. Teaching and learning plan
7. Lesson plans
8. Table of the analysis of the assessment instruments
9. Competency indicator format 114
10. Assessment format
The paper work mentioned above re required by school administration to be prepared by teachers before the academic year starts. At the end of each semester, there was more paper work that had to be finished in addition to the previous documents. That paper work included:
11. Analysis of the exam result
12. Report of remedial activity
13. Teaching journal for each semester
14. Table of the analysis of learning completeness
The EFL teacher participants reported that the amount of paper work that each teacher should prepare was overwhelming. With so many documents to prepare, teachers said it was almost impossible for them to design quality materials and develop relevant media to teach. Moreover, they complained that their salary was far from sufficient compared to the work they had to accomplish.
Unfortunately, The compensation teachers receive for their work is condidered by many to be meager, and to weaken their commitment to the schools. A survey conducted by the World Bank found that 39% of Indonesian junior secondary school teachers supplement their income through additional part-time work (World Bank, 1989). Several of the teachers I interviewed mentioned that their supplemental income actually exceeded the money they earned from the government. Most commonly, they taught part-time at private schools or worked as private English tutors. However, the employment was not limited to education-related ventures. In the schools I visited, educators also ran small- 115 scale trading businesses or joined in multilevel marketing, became a public transportation driver, and in rural areas, teachers often combined careers in education and agriculture.
Differences in participants’ responses on the implementation of KTSP compared to KBK shows their confusion and their lack of understanding about the implementation of the curriculum. This conclusion seems inevitable considering the Indonesian educational system had changed several times in the past few years. At least three curriculums were still in effect when KTSP was first being introduced in the academic year 2006/2007. The Curriculum 1994 was still in use when KBK was first introduced, it was an improvement the previous curriculum, and then not long after that, KBK also was improved with the introduction of KTSP in 2006 (Isjoni, 2010). Findings in this study further confirm that the situation has been confusing, especially for teachers who directly dealt with the implementation of the curriculum. These findings also go along with findings in a study conducted in Malang, Indonesia, which shows that only 60% of teacher participants have a good understanding on KTSP, while the rest still struggle to understand how to implement it (Endang, 2009).
The changes of curriculum were basically needed when the current curriculum had been considered not effective and not relevant with the local and global needs. In some ways, changes in the curriculum are “inevitable and necessary” in order to improve it (Oliva, 2005, p.27). However, the national curriculum in Indonesia has been drastically changed in a short period of time.
Even though teachers in this research sometimes indicated that KTSP was considered as the improvement of KBK, the implementation was still considered too soon 116 and immediate. In another study, schools started to implement it just because they were obliged to follow the rules and constitutions (Isjoni, 2010). As a result, the curriculum designed did not address the school needs and did not describe the school’s real conditions.
This research indicates that each school has a person who is responsible for the implementation of the curriculum, usually the vice principal. Unfortunately, in general, they were busy with routine and technical tasks, such as designing the class schedules, the examination schedules, and other routine tasks. Meanwhile the attempts to design, to implement, and to evaluate, and to develop the curriculum to be more innovative were often neglected.
Training and professional development.
It was discussed in the previous part of this research that EFL teachers in
Gorontalo often have a low proficiency in English. This became a major challenge for
EFL teachers who design teaching materials as a requirement for the new curriculum. All
EFL teachers in this research admitted that they have low English proficiency, even though they argued that they had better proficiency when compared to other EFL teachers. All EFL teachers in this research revealed that there was no specific training to increase their proficiency, although they believed it was a significant need.
EFL teachers in this research mentioned that to increase their English proficiency, they continued their study at the Master’s level. However, one of the teacher participants was pessimistic about this approach. “I am witnessing that nowadays teachers continue their study to the next level, for example to Bachelor and Master’s degree; however, there 117 is no significant difference in their teaching after they finish their study…” (Teacher 4, personal communication, December 26, 2009).
Despite his hesitation about increasing teachers’ proficiency by continuing their study to a higher degree, Teacher 4 stated that he still believed that it could be the best solution besides providing training that specifically aims to increase teachers’ proficiency. On the other hand, Teacher 1 admitted that he often made mistakes teaching in class due to his low English proficiency, and he needed certain lessons and training to help him increase it.
I think attending training is important, because I have often made some
mistakes while teaching. I realized that I was wrong after I read books or
discussed it with my wife or with other teachers after class. (Teacher 1,
personal communication, December 15, 2009)
Teacher 1 also mentioned that attending seminars was another solution to increase teachers’ English proficiency. He argues that, the seminars he attended so far were only focused on designing lesson plans, not on enriching teacher’s English proficiency.
Another problem that arose from the interview was the lack of teachers’ understanding about implementing the new curriculum. Teacher 2 admitted that sometimes she is confused because of so many rules they have to follow.
Sometimes the curriculum (KTSP) confuses us because there are so many
rules regarding the curriculum, while the teachers have to finish one
program, there will be one more program that we have to do… its so
confusing. (Teacher 2, personal communication, December 23, 2009) 118
The EFL teachers mentioned that when one curriculum had been designed and determined as the national curriculum, a series of trainings were conducted in order to introduce the implementation of the new curriculum. However, because the trainings were government projects that dealt with the use of budget money, lots of adjustments were made, such as cutting the length of the training time, in order to fit it into the budget provided by the government. This means that as a result teachers acquired less information from the training sessions.
One of the regular trainings funded by the Government was MGMP (Teacher
Network). All EFL teachers in this research mentioned MGPM as one of the ways to solve the problem of their lack of knowledge about implementing the new curriculum, and not to mention, the lack of their English proficiency.
The establishment of MGMP is based on Government Regulation No 38/1994 on
Educational Personnel. On Chapter XIII, Article 61 (1) it is stated that Educational
Personnel may establish a professional association to improve and develop their career, capacity, ability, professional authority, and welfare for the achievement of optimum educational goals (USAID, 2004, pp.1-5).
MGMP is a professional forum for subject teachers at the District level. However, it can be established, if necessary, in a level lower than the District. The first letter of
MGMP, Musyawarah, indicates that this is a deliberation forum “From, By, and For” teachers. Members of MGMP include all subject teachers from all schools. There are five objectives of MGMP: 119
1. To encourage teachers to improve their ability and skill to plan, implement, and
evaluate teaching and learning activities in their school;
2. To discuss problems faced by teachers to implement their daily responsibilities
and to propose solutions in accordance with the characteristics of the subject
matter, teachers, school conditions, and communities;
3. To provide teachers with opportunities to share information and experience about
the implementation of curriculum and the development of science and technology;
4. To provide teachers with opportunities to express their ideas through MGMP
meetings to improve their profession;
5. To develop some cooperation with other institutions to develop a conducive,
effective, and enjoyable teaching and learning process.
However, the participants said the program largely depended on a budget provided by the government. As the chair of English Teachers Network (MGMP),
Teacher 3 said that, in a year, they could only conduct two meetings, which she thought was not enough. Some teachers, in fact, still did not have enough knowledge in implementing the new curriculum. They mostly just copied and pasted any curriculum they could utilize from their friends or senior teachers. They reported the problem was that most of the materials were not up to date, and did not fit the students’ needs.
The dependency on the available budget indirectly resulted in the lack of knowledge about implementing the new curriculum. Teacher 3 deplored that the MGMP in the city of Gorontalo merely discussed how to implement the new curriculum, such as designing lesson plans and syllabuses. She argued that teachers could also use the 120 meetings to increase their proficiency and that will help them in designing their teaching materials by sharing and learning from their peers. She even offered an idea to other teachers about conducting MGMP regularly without expecting a budget from the government. The reason was conducting a regular meeting would help them sharpen their teaching materials by learning from each other. Unfortunately, this idea was turned down by most teachers who still expected money for participation in the program.
When asked about whether EFL teachers in the city of Gorontalo were aware of their problem with proficiency, and whether they wanted to solve that problem, Teacher 3 answered:
I think it depends on themselves, if they want to know their capability they
want the test, but some of them …do not care about it…those who want to
maintain their English responded well, but most of them just says ‘who
cares!’ and just teach whatever they want to teach. (personal
communication, December 16, 2009)
The test she spoke of in the statement above was TOEIC (Test of English for
International Communication). It is an English language test designed specifically to measure everyday English skills. Teacher 3 further explained that the National
Examination of English subject was TOEIC-oriented; therefore, she argued that EFL teachers should familiarize themselves with the test by taking one regularly. This will both help them increase their own proficiency as well as provide them with better ideas of what to put in their teaching materials. 121
Teachers in Indonesia are classified both as educators and civil servants. The civil servant identity, however, has usually been emphasized over that of the educator. During the second half of the 20th century, the state depended on all sectors of government to promote national cohesion (Bjork, 2004, 2005, 2006). The state emphasized teachers’ loyalty to the nation above that to their profession. Instruction, in contrast, was not established as a high priority. Teachers were rarely observed in class, and their instructional abilities were not evaluated. As long as educators did not post a threat to the state, their jobs were secure. During the New Order period, discussing politics on campus could endanger an educator’s career, but failing to show up for scheduled classes was allowed. Teachers learned to follow the rules established by the government and organize their behavior accordingly. In other words, the civil servant identity became
“superordinate” for public school employees (Bjork, 2006, p. 6). Under Suharto, local government officials became transmitters of directives from Jakarta rather than community representatives. Presidential Regulation No. 6 of 1970 required all civil servants to demonstrate “monoloyalty” to the government, and forbade them from engaging in political activity (Emmerson, 1978).
Access to instructional resources.
Schools in Gorontalo, in general, do not provide a copy machine to support the teaching and learning process. Teachers should provide their own materials and use their own money if they want to make copies for their students. In most situations, students are expected to pay for it. During the interview, Teacher 3 mentioned that she could not 122 provide any a better teaching material for her students, because she did not have enough money to copy it for them, and she felt reluctant to ask the students pay for the copy.
Teacher 2 also underlined the limitations of the resources in designing teaching materials, which is required by the new curriculum. She argues that the facilities should be provided to support the implementation of the new curriculum.
Integration of Technology in EFL Instructions
The aim of this section is to present the data findings on the integration of technology in EFL instructions in Gorontalo, Indonesia. The data consist of the participants’ own definition of technology, their prior use of technology along with their familiarity with the use of technology. The findings reveal the problems faced by the EFL teachers in integrating technology in EFL instructions. It also presents the results of the observations on the available technology in schools. At the end of this section, the participants’ perspectives toward the use of technology and the future use of technology are also presented.
Definition of technology.
All participants in this research were asked to give their own definition of technology. The question was necessary to ask in order to identify their understanding of technology. The result showed that most participants defined technology as something related only to hardware. In general, they mentioned technology as tools and equipment to help teaching, and to ease work, et cetera.
Teacher 1 defined technology as any sophisticated tools, instruments, or machines. Similarly, Teacher 2 and Head 2 described technology as tools that would help 123 teachers in the learning process. Echoing Teacher 2’s and Head 2’s definition of technology, Faculty 1 and Faculty 3 also stated that technology was a tool that should be used to help to get things done and to solve any human problems. Faculty 2 even specifically mentioned the use of LCD projectors and the use of a video camera to record students’ activities as his definition of technology.
In contrast with the other participants’ definition of technology, Teacher 4 was the only participant who did not define technology as merely a tool. The following is his definition of technology:
For me, technology is every attempt that can be used, both hardware and
software, to help work. In education, technology can help us to increase
our proficiency…or at least help us to ease the teaching and learning
process. (Teacher 4, personal communication, December 26, 2009)
Two other participants in this research did not give any definition of technology, even though I probed the question. Both of them eluded with the argument that they had no idea on how to give their own definition of technology. However, both participants agreed that technology is something related to the use of computer and the Internet.
Participants’ prior experience using technology.
Participants’ prior experience using technology was one of the topic questions in the interview. This question was posed to gain data about the kind of technology they were able to use. This data helped to analyze their lack of technology use in their teaching, because the lack of use might be due to their lack of knowledge of operating the equipment versus the availability of the equipment. 124
In general, most teachers in Gorontalo have their own laptops, but they never use them in the classroom. All participants in this research had experience using computers and the Internet; however, the Internet was generally used for material browsing (mostly pictures and short videos), emailing, and social networking such as Facebook, Twitter, and Yahoo Messenger to chat. None of the participants had ever used the Internet during classroom instruction. They also mentioned that, once to twice a month, they used Power
Point in the teaching and learning process.
Teacher 1 described that he used computers and projectors available in the multimedia room. The multimedia room was a classroom equipped with one computer, an LCD projector, DVD player and room speakers. This room was used for multiple purposes, such as listening comprehension skills and watching videos. He added that the school’s language laboratory was sophisticated. It has Internet access, DVD player,
DVDs, and a projector. However, the lab still used student booths and a teacher console.
Teacher 1 regretted the limited availability of the language lab to be used for English teaching. He had to share the schedule with other English and Arabic teachers. Due to the dense schedule, he could only use the lab once in a month.
The use of technology can be expensive for both teachers and students if the schools do not provide it. Teacher 3 stated that she used her own laptop in her classroom to display pictures, and to use sound files to teach listening comprehension. She sometimes asked her students to submit their assignments through email. Unfortunately, she could not do this often because she did not want her students to have to spend their 125 own money on that. She deplored the cost of using Internet in their school, because students had to pay if they wanted to use it (the school has a cyber café).
Similarly, Teacher 4 also used his own laptop to show pictures related to the lesson during the class session. He argued that the school had never provided EFL teachers with any computer software. He had to buy his own. Yet, none of the software is specifically designed for EFL learning.
In a higher education setting, the participants’ prior use of technology was not much different from the middle and high school EFL teachers. Faculty 2, the chair and one of the faculty members of the English department of UNG mentioned that he once used flash cards that prompted students to speak. He confessed that he was discouraged from using a laptop and LCD projectors to teach because he feared damaging them. The department only provided one unit computer, laptop, and LCD projector, which are shared by about more than sixty faculty members. On the contrary, Faculty 1, who was also a faculty member of the English department, said that he used learning software he owned for pronunciation. He was always equipped with learning media such as a laptop,
LCD projector and a sound system to teach listening. He even used the Internet to teach writing. He encouraged his students to establish their own blog, and create their own email in order to be able to submit their assignments.
On the other hand, Faculty 3 mentioned that prior use of technology was limited to the use of a tape recorder and video, despite his position as chair of the computer center and a faculty member of IAIN Sultan Amai Gorontalo. He argued that, even though the college’s laboratories were equipped with some sophisticated equipment, such 126 as satellite-equipped facilities for distance learning, none of them were working. A plan was in place to fix the lab, but it had not yet happened.
Familiarity with the use of technology.
In relation to their prior use of technology, the participants’ familiarity with the technology was also examined. The reason for examining this topic question was to emphasize their answer to the question that related to their prior knowledge of technology use.
The result showed that all participants responded that they were familiar and confident with the use of the computer and the Internet, especially with the use of
Microsoft Office but mostly limited to Microsoft Word. Only one participant mentioned that he was familiar with language learning software. The rest admitted that they were not familiar with any software designed for language learning. For example, when asked what kind of software was used in teaching, Teacher 2 answered that she used VCDs and cassettes, which are hardware. This example showed that participants’ knowledge of technology, especially on the distinction between hardware and software, was also an issue of concern. These deficits perpetuate the absence of technology integration in EFL teaching in Gorontalo.
Even though participants were familiar and confident with the use of the Internet, none of them had ever used Internet access to teach English in their classes. When asked what prevented them from using the Internet in the teaching and learning process, their arguments were either that the Internet access was very slow, or it was available only in certain spots in their school. 127
Problems integrating technology in the classroom.
Questions asked under this topic heading were related to the participants’ experience using technology in the classroom, the absence of the use of technology in classrooms, and the causes of the absence of technology use in EFL classrooms in
Gorontalo, Indonesia. The participants’ answers were mostly rooted in the lack of available technology, its cost and usage. Some participants mentioned that the lack of human resources was also one of the major problems in integrating technology in EFL teaching. The negligence of language as an important school priority was also discussed during the interview.
Schools’ priority.
All participants mentioned that the availability of technology was the major problem in integrating the use of technology in the classroom. On the other hand, providing technology relied on the available budget. Six schools, including a university and a college that I observed, owned language laboratories, which were old and had broken equipment. Plans to fix and replace obsolete equipment had been discussed for many years, but had never happened. Teacher 2 specifically asserted that the administration in her school purposely disregarded the proposal to fix the language lab because the school had other important priorities. “It is not that our school does not have any budget… but, there are so many priorities in this school, language was not considered one of them” (Teacher 2, personal communication, December 23, 2009).
The problem of language courses not being one of schools’ priorities affected the school administration’s decision to spend money to provide technology for language 128 learning. This problem was also mentioned by Teacher 3, “…our students here are
2300…and need more classes, that’s why when the budget comes our headmaster prioritizes the class building…” (personal communication, December 16, 2009).
She had been proposing to have the language lab fixed since the beginning of her career at that school, but the proposal had never been approved by the school administration. Though during this time, two sophisticated computer labs were provided for an engineering program. Teacher 3 acknowledged that the last proposal had already been reviewed, and the school administration promised that the plan to fix the lab would be realized in upcoming years. Nevertheless, Teacher 3 was pessimistic that it would be done, because the administration had promised the same thing for the past several years.
She further argued that even though providing technology could be very expensive, the school should provide it free of charge for teachers and students.
IAIN Sultan Amai Gorontalo also experienced similar conditions. The language lab in the college could not operate because some of the equipment was out of order.
Faculty 3, one of its faculty members, regretted the negligence of the college administration to respond to the language faculty members’ requests to fix or replace the obsolete equipment in the lab.
In responding to the question about the lack of availability of technology in schools in Gorontalo City, the head of the National Education Department of Gorontalo
City argued that even though technology had already been provided, the frequency of use of the equipment was very low. He gave an example, saying that recently the National
Education Department of Gorontalo City had provided some elementary schools in that 129 area with several computer units. Regrettably, those computers were only used for administrative work and none were used for any learning instruction. He added that the low frequency of equipment use was due to several factors. One reason he offered was that teachers over 50 are reluctant to learn the use of technology, both in daily life and in the classroom interactions. These teachers argued that it was not a necessity to learn it because they were close to retirement.
Although he admitted that technology was not cheap, Head 2 claimed that the core problem with the absence of technology use in the classroom was not in the availability of technology per se, but in how to prepare teachers to be technologically literate.
Human resources.
The head of the National Education Department of Gorontalo City was not the only participant who claimed that human resources are one of the major problems with integrating technology in the classroom. Teacher 4 specifically affirmed that beside the lack of infrastructure, the unfamiliarity with technology was the cause of the teachers’ reluctance to use technology in teaching.
Besides the insufficient knowledge of technology, the teachers’ mind set needs to be changed. So far, most teachers in Gorontalo had not come to the conclusion that technology is important to use in the classroom. Faculty 1 shared these notions during the interview.
A teacher does not use technology because of: first, they do not have good
or enough literacy of technology, and second is because of their mind set, 130
maybe they haven’t come to the conclusion that technology is important
for the classroom interactions. (Faculty 1, personal communication,
December 22, 2009)
Imposing the use of technology on teachers will probably need a certain amount of time. However, the use of technology in school could still be carried out as long as the school hired people who would be in charge of helping teachers with the use of technology. Schools that I observed, in general, did not have people who worked specifically as technicians. Teachers who had knowledge of technology usually doubled as computer technicians. Head 2, the head of the National Education of Gorontalo City was concerned about this problem, because those teachers did not earn double salaries even though their workload doubled. Moreover, he was worried that those teachers would not optimally use their time to prepare for teaching.
A similar problem also occurred in higher education institutions. Faculty 3, a faculty member of the college, acknowledged the absence of technicians in his college.
There is no technician available in our institutions, while faculty members
do not have their own ability to operate the equipment available in the
laboratory. We have requested a technician from the authority, but so far
there is no response. (Faculty 3, personal communication, December 27,
2009)
Faculty 2, the chair of the English Department of the University, said that, even though the department had hired two technicians, they were not able to do their job optimally. This problem was caused by either the ratio of the number of the technicians to 131 the faculty members, or by the limitation of knowledge of those technicians themselves.
Faculty 2 presumed that the recruitment of technicians in the University might not significantly focus on their specific knowledge to match the needs of the department. He said that the recruitment was conducted by the university’s higher administration. The department just accommodated whoever was hired by the university to work in that department.
Availability of technology.
All classrooms in schools including the university and college that I observed were not equipped with any sophisticated technological tools. Teachers had to bring their own technology equipment if they wanted to use them in the classroom. Language laboratories and computer laboratories were also provided in these schools.
Unfortunately, some of them were out of order and out of date. However, all schools including the university and college that I observed had Internet access available. Almost all schools including the university and the college that I observed had broken technological equipment that made them impossible to use in instructional activities.
The following table shows the availability of technology in all schools including the university and the college observed in this research. 132
Table 4.4.
Available technological equipment in schools including the university and college.
Schools Availability of Technology
In the Classrooms Language Computer Internet
Laboratory Lab. Access
School 1 Not available Yes Yes Yes
School 2 Not available Yes* Yes (4) Yes
School 3 Not available Yes * Yes Yes
School 4 Not available Yes* Yes Yes
The University Not available Yes (2) Yes Yes
The College Not available Yes* Yes Yes
*Out of order
Table 4.3 shows the data on the availability of technology in each school including the university and the college that I observed. The availability of technology in the classrooms, language laboratories and computer laboratories were investigated during the observations. All classrooms in schools including the university and the college were not equipped with any new technology. All of the schools including the university and the college own language laboratory; the university even provided two language laboratories for their students. All of the schools, the university and the college have the 133
Internet connection and computer laboratories; school 3 even has four computer laboratories.
Language labs vs. computer labs.
Even though all schools including the university and the college had computer laboratories, none of those were used for language learning. The school where Teacher 3 teaches has 3 computer labs with approximately 30 unit computers with Internet access.
Unfortunately, none of those labs were allowed to use for language learning. She said that with the large amount of engineering students using those, it was hard for the school to arrange the schedule for them; it would be even harder if language learning should be added in the schedule.
Considering that higher education institutions such as universities and colleges have more sources of income and more freedom to use and control the budget, I assumed that these institutions might have more complete and sophisticated equipment and access to technology as compared to middle schools and high schools. In reality, the university and the college that I observed had similar equipment and access to technology as the middle and high schools that I also observed.
During the observation, I discovered that the University had two language laboratories and two computer laboratories. The language laboratories were old style labs, which were equipped with student booths and teacher consoles. The conditions of both labs were wistfully messy. The floors had holes and there were cables scattered everywhere, even under the students’ chairs. Faculty 2 and Faculty 1 admitted that accidents often occurred because of this mess. Students stumbled on the wires or fell 134 because one of the chair’s legs fell into a hole. The air conditioning units in both labs were not strong enough to cool down the rooms that were usually packed with 30 to 50 students per class. The number of booths in each room was only 40; therefore, sometimes two students used one booth. Also, some of the equipment was out of order and could not be used. The head of the department argued that he and the previous chairs of the English department had numerous proposals to fix the lab, but the university had never approved it. The unmanageable schedules of the lab use also exacerbated the condition.
On the contrary, the English Department of the University also owned two computer labs, which were multimedia and had Internet acces. Unfortunately, these two labs were only used for the Introduction to Computers, for private computer courses, and as an Internet depot. Faculty 2 mentioned that students could use the lab, but unfairly, they had to pay for it.
Multimedia room.
The idea of using a multimedia room was considered as a solution to the problem of the unavailability of a language lab to EFL teachers. All schools including the university and college that I have observed owned multimedia rooms. In Teacher 2’s and
Teacher 3’s school, the EFL teachers decided to alter the language laboratory into a multimedia room because it had not been fixed for years. Yet, the equipment provided in that room was far from being multimedia. The teachers only brought a tape recorder into the room and played cassettes for listening comprehension.
Teachers 4 stated that, when he learned that the language lab in his school was not functioning, the first step he did was to get rid of all headsets and to install one big 135 speaker in the language lab. He argued that, using a room speaker would create an interaction not only from students to teacher or conversely, but also would encourage the interaction between students.
In the school where Teacher 2 teaches, the language laboratory was converted into a multimedia room. However, there was no computer available in the room. The room was equipped with LCD projector, tape recorder, DVD player, and a set of sound systems. Teacher 2 said that she and other EFL teachers used the room for listening comprehension and watching videos.
Unlike Teacher 3 and Teacher 2’s schools, Teacher 1’s school had both a language lab and a multimedia room. The multimedia room was used for multiple purposes such as for listening comprehension and for watching videos. Teacher 1 mentioned that, due to conflicting schedules, he used the multimedia room as an alternative to the language lab. Beside that, the school’s principal, Head 1, mentioned that they have 8 Internet ready computers that the students can use to help them learn.
Perspectives towards the use of technology in language teaching.
A question on the importance of technology in language teaching was asked of all participants. The general answer from all participants was that they considered the use of technology as something important. When asked why they thought it was important, the answers were quite varied from one participant to the other.
Teacher 1 considered technology important because it can help reduce the teachers’ workload, such as in grading and assessing language skills. On the other hand,
Teacher 2 said technology could help teachers give more to students in terms of materials 136 and methods. Likewise, Teacher 3 pointed out the importance of technology in terms of its richness in providing EFL teachers with authentic materials and its capability to increase students’ motivation and to simplify the EFL instructions and tests. Head 1 and
Head 2 and Faculty 3 highlighted the importance of using technology from the point of view of increasing students’ motivation to learn English. Head 2 further emphasized that using technology can increase teachers’ credibility because students considered them to be more credible compared to teachers who did not use one.
The EFL faculty members who participated in this research believed in the importance of the integration of technology into the classroom interaction. Faculty 1 asserted that technology helps improve both students’ and teachers’ language skills, especially in communication. Likewise, Faculty 2 also believed that technology could actually improve both students’ and teachers’ language ability and knowledge. He indicated the use of the Internet to explore recent supplements to EFL materials, and to learn from each other by sharing the syllabus or the lesson plans online.
Perspectives toward the future use of technology.
All participants in this research agreed on the need for the integration of technology in the future. Teacher 1 and the principal, Head 1, were optimistic that in five years, the school would own sophisticated technological equipment in order to support the school’s proposal to become one of the international-level schools in Gorontalo.
Teacher 4 claimed that the use of technology in the future will be inevitable, and he was very optimistic about the future use of technology in his school. Being appointed 137 as the new chair of his school’s language laboratory, Teacher 4 was in a stage of preparing a proposal for an internet-based language laboratory.
In higher education institutions, the hope of owning an internet-based language laboratory in the future was not much different from middle and high schools. Faculty 2 conveyed his own hope that in the future, the English department of the University would have classrooms equipped with technology-based facilities, and computer-based laboratories. On the other hand, Faculty 1 was confident in the wider use of technology in classroom in upcoming years by looking at the increasing interest in the use of technology in general nowadays. “I think the growing interest in the use of technology will affect the amount of technology used in the classroom” (Faculty 1, personal communication, December 22, 2009).
The importance of technology use in the future had become a major concern for the head of the National Education Department of Gorontalo province. He said that he required all teachers to own a laptop.
I had instructed all principals to use the technological equipment for the
teaching and learning process. This is also an obligation for all teachers
who received “tunjangan sertifikasi” to buy a laptop. I required them to
buy it because the money they received is given with the intention of not
only increasing their own welfare, but also for the sake of increasing their
own competence, which in turn will increase the service quality to all
elements that need education services from us. (Head 2, personal
communication, December 24, 2009) 138
Tunjangan sertifikasi (Teacher Certification) was an effort to improve the quality of teachers accompanied by the increase of teachers’ welfare. It also enabled the teachers in service to improve their classroom instruction, which in turn helps to improve and sustain the quality of education in Indonesia. The teachers’ welfare was increased through providing a professional allowance equal to the basic salary of teachers having a certificate (Madya, et al., 2007).
As a school principal, Head 1, was echoing the instructions from the head of the
National Education Department to encourage teachers in his school to provide themselves with a laptop, he even promised to provide more LCD projectors if teachers were willing to purchase their own laptop.
Providing Technology Equipment
Budgeting was a sensitive matter to ask the participants. All teacher participants only gave simple answers such as saying that there was no budget available to provide technology for language learning. They could not give further explanation because they have no knowledge related to budgeting in their school. They said any matter related to budgeting was the schools administrations’ responsibility.
In this research, a principal and the head of the National Education Department of
Gorontalo City were interviewed specifically to gain data related to budgeting. Since, both these authorities reluctantly answered the questions, I had to probe some questions several times, changing the sentence structures, but ended up still gaining insufficient information. 139
The principal and the head of the National Education Department of Gorontalo
City admitted that funding was very limited for providing technological equipment. The head of the National Education Department specifically indicated that Internet access was available in all high schools and some middle schools in Gorontalo city, but it had not been provided for elementary schools. The Internet access in most of the schools was funded by the Ministry of National Education through a program called Jaringan
Pendidikan Nasional (National Education Network). He further explained that the budget provided for supplying technology was provided by the National Education
Department of the Gorontalo province, the National Education Department of Gorontalo
City, Stake Holders and Parent Board.
The role of parent boards majorly affects the budget in each school. Head 2 mentioned one example, Insan Cendekia High School. The school owns a sophisticated cyber library, which was funded solely by the parent board. Head 2 mentioned that the students in that school come from a high-class social status. Even the children of the governor of Gorontalo were once students at that school.
When discussing the source of funding in his school, Head 1, the principal, explained that they were not only funded by the National Education Department, but major funding for the school was coming from the Religion Department, because the school, Madrasah Tsanawiyah (Religion-based middle school) was under the supervision of the Religion Department. Head 1 further explained that the school was treated as one work unit under the Religion Department; therefore, they had the privilege to plan and propose their own budget. He further admitted that the Ongoing Budget Plan (DIPA) did 140 not entirely cover the technology needs. However, he mentioned that the National
Education Department of Gorontalo provided a small amount of funds for instructional media. He delightedly mentioned that the maintenance budget for any available equipment in their school was covered by DIPA.
Other Findings
When I left Gorontalo for more than two years to come to the United States, the
Internet there was almost impossible to access. There was only two cyber cafes that existed where people of Gorontalo could access the Internet, and it was very slow and often on and off during the day. It took a while to access each page on the computer screen. To have better speed, people had to wait until dawn, because usually that was the best time to get better speed access. During that time, a laptop was a luxurious item that could only be afforded by the wealthy people.
Two years later, the situation had changed. Significant progress had been made in the development of the use of technology in Gorontalo. Laptops are no longer a luxury item. All participants in this research had their own laptop. When interviewing Teacher 2 in the teachers’ lounge, I witnessed that all teachers in the lounge had their own laptop.
An Internet café can be found on almost every corner in Gorontalo. However, there were some interesting facts emerging with the fast growth of technology use there.
The growing number of Internet cafés is a consequence of the growing number of facebook users in Indonesia including Gorontalo. Judging from the June 2010 figures compiled in Global Monitor report, which tracks facebook’s growth in almost a hundred countries worldwide, the Inside Facebook Gold (2010) reported that Indonesia grew the 141 most, adding 1,190,600 new monthly active users to a total of 25.9 million. On July 2010,
Indonesia surpassed the United Kingdom to become Facebook’s second largest country after the United States. Due to this fact, the cyber café industry is flowering in Gorontalo.
However, this fast growing use of the Internet was not accompanied by enough knowledge of other significant benefits offered by the Internet besides merely using it for social networking such as Facebook. Some cyber cafés existed merely to serve those who wanted to use facebook. Uniquely, the staff in these cafés did not know any other things to do with the Internet besides facebook. When I told them that I needed to use skypes, they forced me to used facebook instead. This is an interesting phenomenon.
142
Chapter 5: Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations
The goal of this chapter is to summarize the findings and to draw relevant conclusions. Recommendations are provided for the sake of improving curriculum and instruction in EFL in a decentralized curriculum system, and for further research on integrating technology in EFL classroom in Gorontalo, Indonesia.
The Issues and Challenges of Implementing KTSP in Gorontalo
Findings in this research show that EFL teacher participants have a limited understanding of KTSP even though they had attended several training workshops related to the implementation of the curriculum. However, even though they were facing some obstacles in implementing KTSP, they admitted that this curriculum was better than the previous Kurikulum Berbasis Kompetensi (KBK) or Competence-Based Curriculum. The positive points of KTSP compared to KBK mentioned by the participants in this research can be summarized as follows:
1. KTSP promotes freedom and wider opportunities for schools to design and
develop their own curriculum.
2. The implementation of the curriculum can be adjusted acoording to a school’s
conditions, and students’ abilities.
3. KTSP refers to the increasing of faith, potential, intelligence, interest, and
students’ ability, and it meets the demands of local and national development.
4. Teachers are given autonomy and freedom to select materials in accordance with
the school’s situations and conditions. 143
5. Its principles are relevant to integral and continuous education life, and balance
between national and regional interests.
Besides mentioning the positive points of implementing KTSP, the participants also highlighted some challenges they faced on implementing the curriculum. Those challenges are summarized as follows:
1. No fixed materials. Due to not having fixed materials provided, teachers were
often confused to choose or compose materials to teach.
2. Time management. Due to the overwhelming amount of paper work required by
supervisors, teachers found it difficult to juggle providing the paperwork and
preparing teachers materials.
3. Authentic materials. Teachers mostly expressed concers about limited sources of
authentic materials to use in teaching listening comprehension
4. Assessment. The large amount of students in one class made it difficult for
teachers to grade them in a reasonable amount of time allotted.
Teachers mentioned that they basically made few efforts to solve their problems, such as seeking help from the counselor or curriculum division at school, proposing to the school’s administrations to provide and fix the instructional media such as language laboratory. Unfortunately, they did not report any reciprocal efforts from the authorities.
Decentralization of education system in Indonesia.
The curriculum in Indonesia keeps changing with each successive government. It is usually changed even before one curriculum has had a chance to be well established.
This is a major problem in Indonesia’s education system. It required a lot of time and 144 energy, and a great deal of money in order to establish one curriculum to be well implemented in all provinces in Indonesia. Unfortunately, before one curriculum becomes well implemented, the national curriculum has changed already.
The centralization in the education system has become more complicated when introducing new curriculum equally in all parts of Indonesia due to its geographical boundaries. Java, the island where the capital city of Indonesia is located always has the first chance to obtain new information and their schools have the first opportunity to be a pilot project of the implementation of a new curriculum.
Centralization in education means that the uniformity of its implementation is standard in all schools. It neglects the reality that Indonesia consists of many different regions with different ethnicities, languages, and other local potentials. With this uniformity, the curriculum that is implemented in urban areas and industrial areas will be the same as the curriculum implemented in the countryside and in coastal areas. This condition makes the curriculum less operational, and as a result, it does not provide sufficient and relevant competencies for students to develop their local potential. Students become less competitive in finding jobs and that problem leads to the increase in unemployment.
Rezai-Rashti (2003) has noted that education systems in many nations have been experiencing changes in curriculum. Some are shifting from a decentralized to more centralized, and some are changing from centralization to decentralization in their curriculum. “Reforms in educational management, governance, assessment procedures and standardization are very common nowadays, and involve cuts to education budgets, 145 decentralization, or even privatization of education” (Yuwono, 2005, p. 1) The changes affected the education systems in Indonesia in many ways. Education reform is inevitable because it happens globally, and it has significant and direct impacts at the school level.
The problem with implementing the school-based management in Indonesia is the difficulty in requiring contribution of creative ideas from the schoolteachers and administration in designing the curriculum based on the local needs. Teachers’ creativity is urgently needed to accommodate the students’ need and the local school’s situation and condition. This is a challenge for teachers. Bostald (2004,) argues, “School-Based
Curriculum can sometimes be challenging for teachers, and the result does not always reflect the needs and interests of students or school communities” (P.1). In response, teachers and school administration should work together in designing the curriculum that will address the needs of the students and the community.
Willingness to improve.
As illustrated by one respondent in this research, some teachers’ reluctance to improve their own teaching and English performance could be affected by the privileges of being considered a civil servant.
One effect of this emphasis on teachers’ obligations to the state is that they have not established a set of professional standards distinct from that applied to other types of civil servants. The civil service system is structured to reward individuals who display loyalty and obedience, and these are the qualities most readily embraced by the teachers I observed. Like other government employees, they rarely question the party line communicated from Jakarta or seek to increase their degree of influence in the 146 workplace. They have learned that the most dependable response is to follow directions and avoid drawing attention to oneself. As public employees, teachers are guaranteed a basic salary regardless of their performance on the job. As long as they do not upset their principals or employees in the provincial office of education, teachers can expect to receive regular pay increases every 4 years, regardless of their efforts in the classroom
(World Bank, 1989). This helps to explain teachers’ unenthusiastic response to a series of reforms designed to augment their authority. The reforms include the challenge of using technology in instructional setting.
Issues and Challenges of Technology Integration in EFL Teaching In Gorontalo
Many teachers around the world work in a condition where the availability of computer technology falls short of the expectation. EFL teachers in Gorontalo, Indonesia also experience this condition. Lack of hardware, software, infrastructure, and access to
Internet are factors that affect their perception towards the value of the integration of technology in the instructional setting. There are number of reasons mentioned by the
EFL participants in this research whether to integrate the use of technology into instructions. The most educationally significant reasons are the limited and unequal access to technological equipment.
Teachers who have been prepared with technology sometimes give up on the situation and condition they face in their institutional setting. It is regrettable for some technologically skilled teachers when their knowledge becomes futile because of the unavailability of computer technology in their work setting. In Gorontalo, the problem is even worsened with the unavailability of access or unstable access to the Internet. 147
Even though the availability of computers is a major requirement for a successful integration of computers in language instruction, it is not essential to improve learning. It appears that what seems more important is the use of technology instead of the availability of it. Therefore, the policy to impose teachers to buy their own laptop was not considered an urgent solution to the challenge.
The results of the observations show that the education system in Indonesia at this point attempted to guarantee that all students have adequate and equal access to computers and the Internet to accomplish stated goals. This attempt requires considerable resources for hardware, software, connectivity, and technical assistance and teachers’ professional development. Both the principal and the head of the National Education
Department in this research argue that the dowside of the challenge of integrating technology in EFL instruction was the unprepared teachers. They further argued that the costly investment in technology is being underutilized and valuable resources are being wasted. Many teachers who have access to the technology are not using it because of the following reasons:
1. They do not know how to use the technology equipment, and are not motivated to
learn.
2. They are satisfied with their current approach to teaching, and reluctant to learn a
new approach including the use of technology in teaching.
3. They do not have sufficienct time to devote to the type of lessons best supported
by technology. 148
It is true that in these times, the advancement of information and communication technology has helped a great deal in improving the situations and conditions related to education in less privileged areas, yet problems still remain unsolved due to financial and technical constraints.
Recommendations
Based on the conclusions above, more efforts can be done by the English teachers, the policy makers (Depdiknas and school headmasters), MGMP (Teacher
Network), University and Teacher Training College, and the other researchers in order to solve the problems and address the challenges of implementing KTSP in schools in
Gorontalo.
Training and workshops.
The English teachers are expected to improve their understanding about KTSP, which can be done through attending trainings and workshops about KTSP, reading documents related to KTSP, and sharing related information with other teachers. They are also expected to participate in trainings and workshops about the teaching of English covering the methods, materials, and media so they can improve their teaching. By knowing the results of this study, the policy makers and MGMP (Teacher Network) are expected to identify and analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the implementation of
KTSP. Therefore, they can make some improvement in implementing it. Moreover, they are supposed to cooperate in optimizing the teachers’ roles in the implementation of
KTSP. 149
Teaching or training teachers to create their own materials is a significant requirement of the implementation of KTSP. Thus, the role of MGMP in improving the teacher’s professionalism is becoming more important when the government implements new curriculum. MGMP is empowered to become a forum for teachers to improve themselves in order to better prepare hardworking, creative, critical and skillful students.
Therefore, the teaching-learning process should no longer be teacher-centered, but should be student-centered. Teachers are expected to apply various instructional innovations, such as Contextual Teaching and Learning (CTL), Student Active Learning, Problem-
Based Learning, and others.
Teachers in this study were underpinning the challenge of creating their own teaching materials required in the implemetation of KTSP. However, EFL teachers in
Sragi, pekalongan saw the challenge in a different way. A study conducted in Sragi of
Pekalongan Regency, East Java, shows that the participants of Sub-District MGMP realized that the quality of the teaching-learning process at school could be improved by developing good teaching materials. This awareness encourages those attending MGMP activities to develop their own materials (USAID, 2004).
The English MGMP (English Teacher Network) teams under TPK Sragi of
Pekalongan Regency created three-volume exercise books. The books are a collection of questions and answers organized according to the lesson units. The reason for its creation was that English teachers strongly felt needs to give more exercises to students. Although not printed, neat typeset and color illustrations render it a very attractive appearance. All of English teachers in the Sub-District are using it as a handy source of classroom 150 exercises and exam questions. According to teachers of SMP N 1 Sragi, 50% to 60% of the students improved their achievement in English since these books were used.
The experience of MGMP Sragi shows that with commitment, teachers can actually overcome their problems and in turn, increase the quality of English teaching.
Therefore, their experiences can be an excellent recommendation for improving the implementation of KTSP in EFL instructions, because learning from their experience can benefit other teachers in other parts of Indonesia, including the EFL teachers in
Gorontalo.
More involvement of University and Colleges
The teacher training college is expected to conduct more trainings and workshops to improve teachers’ understanding about KTSP so that they can optimize their roles on the implementation of KTSP. At last, for other researchers, they are expected to investigate more aspects of the implementation of KTSP, such as how is the students’ achievement using KTSP compared with the achievement in the previous curriculums.
Supervision.
EFL teachers’ reluctance in increasing their own proficiency, as mentioned by some participants in this research, can be overcome with a continuous supervision.
Teaching supervision in education aims to increase the quality of teachers’ professionalism. There are at least three major concepts in understanding teaching supervision (Glickman, 1990):
1. Supervision in teaching should directly affect and develop teachers’ attitude
towards the instructional process. 151
2. In helping teachers to improve their skill, supervisors should officially design a
fixed program with a clear scheduled time of the initial and the end of the
program.
3. The result of teaching supervision is to enable teachers to facilitate the learning
process for their students.
The role of supervision in implementing the new curriculum is significant.
Supervisors should ensure that teachers understand the rules and formulas to design the curriculum. Besides that, supervisor should be able to act as a mediator to facilitate the collaboration work between teachers, administrators, school board, and the National
Education Department in designing the curriculum. Sergiovanni (1971) emphasized the objectives of supervision as follows:
1. Increasing the affectiveness and efficiency of the instructional process
2. Supervising the quality. The supervisor will monitor the instructional process at
each school
3. Developing teachers’ professionalism. Supervisor can help teachers to develop
their ability to understand the teaching and learning process and the school
environment, and to improve their teaching skill.
4. Motivating teachers. Supervisor can support teachers to implement their ability
and to be responsible in conducting their teaching tasks.
I observed how teachers and administrators, for various reasons, rarely have the opportunity to attend in-service training, which would benefit them and enrich the quality of their teaching. Schools in less privilege areas were seldom, if ever, visited by their 152 supervisors/superintendents due to the geographical and physical conditions that creates the uneven spread of development in Indonesia. One of the participants in this research mentioned that the supervisor was focused only on supervising the paperwork, while other supervision roles were often neglected.
The problem faced by the teachers in Gorontalo in implementing the new curriculum is difficult so solve. However, I have a vision that even with the simplest use of technology can minimize the problems. Teachers can use various and interesting methods and media. They can learn from other teachers globally in finding sources of materials for listening comprehension course, in giving a remedial teaching, and in retesting the students whose scores are under the minimum score.
Integrating technology in Teacher Education Curriculum.
The data of this research shows that the Teacher Education Program in both the university and the college I observed did not include the use of technology in their teacher education program. Therefore, it is recommended that technology in language learning or computer-assisted language learning should be included in EFL teacher education program in both higher institutions.
Students who are learning to be English teachers should be prepared with the technological knowledge, because they will face students who might already be ahead of them in terms of technological knowledge. The advance knowledge of students could be used as an opportunity for teachers to improve their teaching. Teachers who had been prepared with CALL knowledge will know how to utilize the students’ prior knowledge of technology to enhance their EFL learning, because integrating CALL in language 153 instruction is not aimed at loading students with computer skill. The objective of integrating CALL in the curriculum of language teaching ‘‘has been associated with self- contained, programmed applications such as tutorials, tools, simulations, instructional games, tests, and so on’’ (Kern & Warschauer, 2000, p. 1). Therefore, the pedagogical aspect of language acquisition through the use of technology is the main objective of integrating CALL in language curriculum.
Similarly, Kessler (2005) argues that integrating technology into curriculum means more than teaching basic computer skills and software programs in a separate computer class. Effective technology integration must happen across the curriculum in ways that research shows will deepen and enhance the learning process. In particular, it must support four key components of learning: active engagement, participation in groups, frequent interaction and feedback, and connection to real-world experts. Effective technology integration is achieved when the use of technology is routine and transparent and when technology supports curricular goals.
Recommendation for Further Research
This research did not investigate students’ achievement as an important indicator in implementing KTSP. Thus, further research to investigate the outcomes of the implementation of KTSP, such as how the students’ achievement using KTSP compared with their achievement using the previous curriculum, KBK, is welcome.
Results of this research indicated that EFL teachers in Gorontalo faced some challenges in implementing the newest curriculum, KTSP. On the other hand, the findings in this research also indicated that participants have many positive attitudes 154 towards the use of technology in EFL teaching. Based on these findings, research on investigating the impact of using technology in minimizing the challenges faced by EFL teachers in implementing KTSP is recommended.
155
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166
Appendix A: IRB Form
167
Appendix B: Interview Topics
Interview Topics for EFL teachers
- The problems faced in EFL teaching in Gorontalo
- The problems with Centralized curriculum in Gorontalo
- Prior experience with the use of technology in language teaching
- Level of comfort and confidence in using technology in language teaching
- Issues and problems around the implementation of technology in education in
their schools
- Teacher perspectives about implementation of technology in language teaching in
Gorontalo
- Teacher perspectives about the future use of technology in language teaching in
Gorontalo
Interview Topics for School Principals
- The Availability of technology equipments
- The source of Budget in providing the technology in their school
- Whether the budget is also covers the training cost for teachers and the
maintenance budget for the equipment
- Their perspective about the integration of technology in the instructions process in
their school
- Their perspective toward the future use of technology in
Interview Topics for Faculty Members 168
- Whether the technology in this case has already been conducted in the curriculum
of the English Education program in UNG
- Their previous experience of using technology in teaching
- Level of comfort and confidence in using technology in language teaching
- Issues and problems around the implementation of technology in English
Department of UNG
- Their perspectives about implementation of technology in language teaching in
UNG and in Gorontalo province in general
- Their perspectives about the future use of technology in language teaching in
Gorontalo province.
Interview Topics for The head of the National Education Department of the
Province of Gorontalo
- The Budgeting process of providing technology in Gorontalo
- Issues and problems around the integration of technology in schools in Gorontalo
province
- His perspectives of the integration of technology in education setting in Gorontalo
- His perspectives of the future use of technology in education in Gorontalo
province. The level of its importance compared to other aspects of education in
Gorontalo province.
169
Appendix C: Observation Sheet
Technology Yes No Number Notes Hardware 1 2 3 . Software 1 2 3 . Internet access - slow - medium - fast Technician (IT people) - teacher - pure technician Maintenance budget Schedule Usage - administration - instructions - other
170
Appendix D: Sample of Interview Transcript and Translation
Good afternoon.
Good afternoon.
My name is Karmila Machmud. I am a graduate student in curriculum and instruction and this is my research for my dissertation, and if it is ok with you this interview will be recorded.
Ok. It’s fine
Ok. Thanks. Fist of all would you please tell me a little bit about yourself…your teaching experience, your education background or something like that.
I’ve been teaching for about 9 years. I teach in a Junior High school and vocational school. I graduated from aaa…Universitas Negeri Malang for graduate program and I take my ‘sarjana’ in STKIP Gorontalo…umm…that’s all I think
Ok…selama mengajar bahasa Inggris sudah 9 tahun saat2 mana yang paling anda sukai atau anda nikmati?
Yang paling baik itu ketika siswa..karena saya mengajar di SMK paling lama ya…I teach in Junior high only two or three years…jadi yang paling saya sukai adalah ketika siswa bisa diajak untuk komunikatif di dalam pembelajaran…kadang-kadang kita menghadapi masalah siswa tidak bisa kita ajak komunikatif karena lack of vocabulary…lack of grammatical knowledge ya…dia tidak bisa mengungkapkan secara grammatical dan dia 171 tidak bisa berbahasa Inggris dengan baik maka kita punya masalah karena kurikulum menuntut untuk we have to go to the next step sementara siswa tidak siap untuk itu.
mmm. jadi anda secara tidak langsung mengatakan bahwa ada masalah dengan kurikulum sekarang..KTSP
Iya…
Kira2 masalah apa saja itu selain tidak cocoknya kurikulum tersebut dengan kemampuan dasar siswa di sini
Yang pertama masalahnya adalah bahwa kurikulum itu menggambarkan penyusunnya memang bukan dari praktisi pendidikan khususnya untuk praktisi pendidikan di level bawah..level SMA dan SMP sehingga terjadi kesenjangan antara kurikulum dengan kemampuan siswa di lapangan
Tapi bukankah kurikulum terbaru ini memberikan otonomi sebesar-besarnya kepada guru untuk menyusun kurikulumnya?
Bukan kurikulum yang ditentukan…disusun oleh guru tapi mereka (orang dari pusat) memberikan kompetisi dasar yang harus dipenuhi oleh siswa…guru hanya mengikuti kompetisi dasar itu dan membuat materi yang bersesuaian dengan kompetensi itu…sementara kalau seperti kita yang mengajar di sekolah SMA atau SMK itu kita menerima produk yang sudah selesai dan SMP…ketika kita masuk ke kompetensi2 dasar yang ditawarkan di SMK mereka tidak bisa…padahal semestinya setelah lulus SMP itu 172 mereka sudah mampu untuk melakukan hal-hal tertentu seperti memperkenalkan nama, menyebutkan pekerjaan, menceritakan tentang family, tapi ternyata sampai di SMK atau samapi di tingkat atas mereka belum bisa juga.
Berarti problemnya adalah di SMP ya…mereka tidak bisa memenuhi kompetisi itu..
Saya melihat problemnya bukan hanya di SMP tapi bahasa Inggris harus diajarkan dari bawah sekali..elemntary…saya merasa bahwa bahasa Inggris sudah sangat dibutuhkan untuk diajarkan di SD sehingga ketika mereka masuk SMP guru tidak akan kesulitan lagi.
Kemudian memberi porsi yang besar untuk pelajaran bahasa Inggris bukan hanya 2 jam atau 3 jam saja di smp tetapi lebih dari itu sehingga siswa betul2 bisa karena memang dituntut untuk bisa melakukan kegiatan berbahasa Inggris..
Hmm…kalau dengan curriculum yang terbaru ini, KTSP, setahu saya, yang say abaca itu bahwa sekolah diberikan otonomi besar untu menyusun kurikulum…nah selain dari masalah yang diungkapkan tadi kira2 masalah apa lagi? Apakah dari factor gurunya tidak terbiasa…atau mungkin ada masalah lain dengan itu?
Mungkin ada sebagian juga masalah dari guru karena guru kurang mampu untuk memberikan pelajaran bahasa inggris yang pertama mungkin teacher sendiri tidak sanggup untuk berbahasa inggris dengan baik dan benar, sehingga sampai pada tataran siswa mereka mengajar pun siswa tidak mendapatkan pengajaran yang benar..
Hhmm..hmmm… 173
Sehingga siswa tidak bisa me…mengucapkan (pronunciation), grammatical pula, mungkin guru kurang mampu untuk menjelaskan dengan baik sehingga siswa tidak mampu untuk meng_acquire itu semua
Berarti menurut anda yang harus diperbaiki adalah kualitas guru ataupun meningkatkan proficiency berbahasa inggris bagi guru2 bahasa inggris itu sendiri
Iya…jadi seorang guru bahasa inggris memang harus mampu secara umum..paling tidak pronunciation-nya harus betul, kemudian dalam berbicara mereka harus menggunakan bahasa yang baku karena ini di sekolah
Terus kalau misalnya sudah tahu ada masalah seperti itu, apakah ada upaya tidak dari guru2 itu sendiri untuk meningkatkan kwalitasnya sendiri atau proficiency-nya sendiri?
Saya melihat bahwa sekarang ini mulai ada pendidikan apa namanya pendidikan kelanjutan untuk guru yang masih di bawah apa namanya tingkat strata pendidikannya untuk ke S1 maksudnya dari D3 ke S1, S1 ke S2, akan tetapi kita juga sadari bahwa setelah kembali dari sana mereka tidak jadi apa2, tidak ada perubahan yang significant terjadi pada seorang guru ketika kembali dari pendidikan.
Apakah menurut anda technology bisa membantu menyelesaikan masalah ini?
Jelas! Itu jelas bisa membantu.
174
Bisa dijelaskan lebih lanjut?
Sekarang ini …contoh dekat ini saya sementara menyusun materi untuk kelas 3 yang sesuai dengan standard kompetensi kelulusan, yang diberikan oleh pemerintah hanya
SKL-nya saja sementara materinya harus kita cari sendiri. Dengan technology sekarang kita cari di internet kita dapat kita compile semua file2nya kemudian kita jadikan sebagai materi untuk pembelajaran kelas 3 ini.
Hmm..ok.. kalau anda pribadi dalam penguasaan technology diluar kelas ya secara umum…apa saja yang anda letahui tentang technology, atau anda bisa sedikit memberikan definisi tentang technology?
Bagi saya technology adalah segala upaya yang bisa dibuat baik itu secara hardware atau software-nya dibuat untuk membantu suatu pekerjaan, begitu juga dalam pendidikan, technology dalam pendidikan, bagaimana caranya teknologi itu atau cara itu bisa membantu kita dalam meningkatkan aaa proficiency misalnya atau paling tidak memudahkan kita dalam hal aaa teaching and learning process
Hmm..hmm…apakah anda terbiasa menggunakan computer?
Yah..
Software2 yang berhubungan dengan language learning?
Yeah..
175
Dimana anda mendapatkan itu? Apakah sekolah menyediakannya?
Saya tidak mengharapkan dari sekolah. Saya banyak mendapatkan dari luar. I bought them myself. Saya beli sendiri dan mencari sendiri beberapa software yang ada di internet yang gratis untuk guru.
Apakah anda gunakan di dalam kelas?
Kebanyakan iya, saya gunakan di dalam kelas seperti gambar2, itu saya gunakan di dalam kelas ketika saya mendapatkan gambar yang bersesuaian dengan aaaa..materi yang saya ajarkan
Selain gambar misalnya khusus untuk 4 skill itu…apakah ada software khusus yang anda temukan dan gunakan di dalam kelas?
Selain ini saya belum menemukan software yang secara khusus untuk 4 skill itu …sejauh ini belum dapat
Hm hm..bagaimana dengan internet..apakah anda akrab menggunakan internet?
Iya.
Apakah digunakan di dalam kelas?
Sampai dengan saat ini belum.
Apa yang menjadi hambatanya? 176
Yang pertama infrastruktur yang belum siap di sekolah kita belum siap secara infrastruktur. Sekarang kita sementara mengusahakan di sekolah SMK 3 gorontalo, kita sementara mengusahakan membuat lab bahasa itu menjadi SAS.
Mohon dijelaskan…
Kita jadikan nanti sebagai pusat belajar, pusat informasi nanti di situ kita akan sambungkan dengan internet sehingga siswa nanti bisa mengakses sendiri bahan ajar yang dibutuhkan untuk pembelajaran mereka. Ini sementara dirintis, sementara diusahakan dan sudah kita bicarakan dengan pihak sekolah, tapi nanti tahun pelajaran yang baru hal ini bisa diwujudkan
Saya tidak berkesempatan untuk datang untuk observasi technology yang ada di SMK
3. Apakah anda bisa jelasakan apa yang ada di sana selain mungkin lab bahasa.
Apakah lab bahasa masih menggunakan booth ataukah sudah menggunakan computer?
Di lab bahasa kita ada tiga computer selebihnya adalah booth…itu lab bahasa yang lama…cumin sekarang kita usahakan memodifikasi lab bahasa itu dengan bagaimana caranya supaya dimodifikasi. Di SMK 3 itu sendiri sebenarnya kalau ada keinginan yang lebih dari sekolah, mungkin karena kepala sekolahnya masih baru, sehingga belum ada perencanaan jangka panjang untuk pengembangan itu. DI SMK 3 itu sendiri sebenarnya infrastrukturnya sudah hamper siap semua, ada internet dengan hotspot di beberapa lokasi, kemudian ada juga wired internet yang memakai kabel dibeberapa lokasi sudah 177 ada, tinggal memaksimalkan pemanfaatan ini yang mungkin belum. Yang pertama masalahnya mungkin karena sebagian guru juga belum menggunakan internet secara aktif, belum paham technology.
Menurut anda apa yang menyebabkan mereka tidak ingin menggunakan teknologi dalam kelas selain karena mereka belum paham tentang memanfaatkan teknologi.
Sebenarnya kalau tidak ingin bukan kata yang tepat, karena kalau diberi tau mereka juga ada kemauan, Cuma masalahnya tidak ada sosialisasi tentang penggunakan IT di pendidikan..
Oh..apakah tidak ada training untuk guru2 dari sekolah atau dari department pendidikan?
Seingat saya dulu waktu saya masih tugas di menado itu ada training dari jardiknas.
Bagaimana di SMK?
Saya belum tau ..
Tapi apakah menurut anda training itu penting?
Penting, sangat penting. Satu yang saya pelajari ketika pelatihan jardiknas itu salah satunya membuat bahan ajar dengan menggunakan multimedia. Saya sempat membuat satu file yang saya buat untuk pengajaran menggunakan beberapa elemen untuk speaking, untuk listening, ya.. listening comprehension. 178
Apakah menurut anda guru2 ini sebaiknya diberikan pelatihan secara berkala?
Iya…sebaiknya mereka diberikan pelatihan secara terus menerus shingga mereka bisa familiar dengan penggunaan teknologi karena memang tidak bisa dipungkiri bahwa itu menjadi kebutuhan yang sangat dasar untuk pendidikan sekarang karena untuk bisa menyamakan kwalitas pendidikan kita dengan pendidikan yang ada di luar, kita harus terhubung dengan dunia luar.
Menurut anda jika ada training apakah sebaiknya secara formal atau informal?
(the interviewee asked me to repeat the question)
Saya rasa kedua2nya bisa. Saya memilih informal karena kadang2 ketika kita di forum2 formal, kalau kita tidak tau kadang2 terasa canggung untuk bertanya, untuk praktek, tapi kalau sesame teman (peer) itu lebih comfortable, kita bisa sharing.
Kalau misalnya suatu saat nanti aaa SMK 3 dilengkapi dengan fasilitas internet dengan lab multimedia yang dilengkapi dengan computer dan internet dan segala peralatan yang digunakan untuk pembelajaran bahasa. Menurut anda apa yang paling akan terbantu dari tugas seorang guru jika semua fasilitas tersebut sudah tersedia yang jelas guru akan terbantu ketika dia melakukan pembelajaran terhadap siswa….aaa
…penyediaan materi kemudian comprehension juga mungkin lebih baik dari siswa karena mereka akan mendapatkan informasi secara lengkap dan mereka bisa 179 mendapatkan informasi secara sendiri…sehingga seorang guru akan lebih mudah menjelaskan karena siswa sudah mempunyai prior knowledge terhadap materi yang akan diajarkan.
dan mereka bisa mengontrol sendiri apa yang mereka butuhkan.. iya…
Tadi dikatakan bahwa ada upaya ke depan untuk menyediakan SAS Lab ya…kira2 sudah sejauh mana upaya ini dari titik keberhasilan..?
Kebetulan saya baru ditunjuk untuk pengelola laboratorium bahasa…baruu satu minggu yang lalu..
Hmm..hmm
Yang sudah saya mulai usahakan adalah saya sudah mebuat proposal untuk alat2 multimedia di lab, saya sudah bicarakan dengan kepala sekolah. Yang pertama di situ ada tiga computer, baru tiga computer, saya minta diadakan LCD untuk bisa menayangkan tayangan yang ada di computer dipindahkan ke yang lebih besar sehingga siswa ketika masuk mereka bisa melihat langsung. Kemudian mungkin dari situ aaa…saya akan buat itu lab sebagai pusat informasi karena memang sudah tersedia sebenarnya, sudah tersedia, tidak dimanfaatkan.
Sayang ya… 180
Iya ..tidak dimanfaatkan..dan memang selama ini ketika pemerintah pusat sudah tidak terlalu memberi perhatian yang lebih ke daerah sehingga banyak terputus program2 pemerintah pusat. Pemerintah daerah itu sendiri tidak begitu paham apa yang dimaukan oleh SMK dan untuk apa ini SMK sehingga terjadi kesenjangan, bagaimana kita tepusat dulu ya…penangan menejernya bukan kurikulumnya tapi menejerialnya terpusat sehingga kita tahu bagaimana kebutuhan2 sehingga dapat dipenuhi dengan tepat
Apakah di SMK ada lab computer?
Ada..
Tapi digunakan khusus untuk yang lain tapi tidak digunakan untuk language learning
Iya..
Apakah ada menggunakan headset?
Saya belum liat …tapi ada beberapa yang saya liat itu belum menggunakan headset.
Sayang sekali, padahal kalau ada lab computer itu diinstal language software. Dan kalau misalnya ada headset mereka bisa beriteraksi dengan menggunakan internet.
Sayang sekali beberapa sekolah yang saya kunjungi, lab computer selalu dibedakan dengan lan bahasa, padahal sebenarnya lab bahasa dengan menggunakan booth sudah lama dan sudah tidak lagi digunakan, jadiii…good luck dengan upayanya ke depan, jangan hanya minta LCD tetapi minta language lab, keluarkan semua booths 181 dan minta mungkin 30 komputer lengkap dengan headset dan install software sehingga anak2 punya kesempatan untuk berinteraksi secara global dengan seluruh akses untuk language learning, dan bukan hanya siswa tapi juga guru bisa menggunakannya.
Sekarang saya buat untuk langkah pertama adalah mengeluarkan semua headset sehingga satu speaker besar yang kita pasang sehingga bukan ..interaksinya bukan teacher to students lagi tapi teacher to students, students to students, mereka bisa berinteraksi satu sama lain dengan guru langsung dengan apa yang mereka dengarkan mereka bisa beriteraksi, mereka bisa komprehen kemudian mereka bisa mendengarkan diskusi dengan teman.
Hm.hm. tapi memang belum ada sama sekali software tertentu yang digunakan khusus untuk self study di mana siswa bisa mengontrol sendiri apa yang mereka butuhkan dan untuk self study. Tapi bagaimana menurut anda di masa yang akan datang apakah itu penting atau menurut anda?
Bukan hanya penting, tapi itu adalah satu keharusan yang harus diusahakan oleh sekolah sebagai …institusi yang melayani pendidikan..
Apakah anda cukup optimis bahwa hal ini bisa terwujud di masa depan?
Kita harus berusaha..aa.. persoalan ditanggapi atau tidak itu kan persoalan belakangan, tapi paling tidak we have to try..we have to aaa…kita harus usahakan upayakan bagaimana supaya kita mendapatkan semua itu, karena kita tidak bisa pungkiri bahwa 182 sekarang ini siswa apalagi SMK mereka dibutuhkan di dunia kerja dan dunia kerja membutuhkan salah satunya adalah ketrampilan berbahasa.
Benar..benar…well… it’ s nice to talk to you…I think that’s all.
Thank you.
But while in the process of transcribing this interview and in the process of analyzing the data for example if I found anything that need information or clarification from, is it ok for me to call you?
Yes..it’s ok
And then initiate the following interview with you …and is it possible for me to call you because the only access that I can use is maybe a voice call or throught the telephone.
Will it be fine with you?
Yes, it will be fine. You can also email.
Thank you so much for your time …I really appreciate that..
You’re welcome.
Elapsed Time: ____ minutes.
183
Translation
Good afternoon.
Good afternoon.
My name is Karmila Machmud. I am a graduate student in curriculum and instruction and this is my research for my dissertation, and if it is ok with you this interview will be recorded.
Ok. It’s fine
Ok. Thanks. Fist of all would you please tell me a little bit about yourself…your teaching experience, your education background or something like that.
I’ve been teaching for about 9 years. I teach in a Junior High school and vocational school. I graduated from aaa…Universitas Negeri Malang for graduate program and I take my ‘sarjana’ (Bachelor degree) in STKIP Gorontalo…umm…that’s all I think
Tell me about your interesting experience teaching English.
The most exciting experience is where the students …. I teach in SMK for the longest period of time. I teach in Junior High only two or three years…so the most exciting experience is where students can be asked to be communicative in the process of teaching and learning. Sometimes we faced a problem where students cannot be asked to communicate in English due to their lack of vocabularies and grammar knowledge…they 184 cannot speak with grammatically correct. I think the problem emerged where the curriculum require to go to the next step while the students were not ready yet.
Hmmm… are you saying that there is a problem with the recent curriculum, KTSP
Yes. I think so
So, beside the problem that you’ve mentioned… that the curriculum was not suitable with the students’ ability…are there any other problems?
The first problem is that the curriculum was not designed by people who are involved in education process…or they are not educators, especially lower level education…senior high and middle schools; therefore, there are a gab between the curriculum and the students ability…
But, isn’t the KTSP giving a wider autonomy for teachers to design their own curriculum?
It is not the curriculum that has been decided…or composed by teachers, but they (people in the central government) have given the basic competence or standard competence that should be achieved by students. Teachers only follow that basic competence to design teaching materials based on that…meanwhile for us who teach in Senior High, we receive students from middle school who can not deal with the basic competence in senior high level, in fact the should be able to deal with it…for example they should be 185 able to introduce their name, occupation, tell about their family, which is in fact they cannot do even they already in senior high level.
So ...are you saying that the problem is actually in middle school where they could not achieve the standard of competence required by the curriculum?
I think the problem is not only in middle schools but I think English should be taught from elementary level. I think English is urgent enough to be taught in elementary schools, so that when they are moving to middle school they will not face any difficulties.
Also, I think, English should be given bigger portion…not only 2 or 3 hours per week but more than that, so that students can be doing more English activities.
Do you think teachers in general faced any problems with the implementation of
KTSP?
Maybe some problems emerged from teachers, because they are notable to teach English properly. It is due to their low proficiency in English; therefore, students sometimes acquire wrong lessons.
Hhmm..hmmm…
Students were not able to pronounce, or speak and write grammatically correct, because teachers were not able to explain correctly.
186
Do you think teachers should concern on their own proficiency to be able to increase their teaching quality?
Yes…an English teacher should have certain level of proficiency…
Are there any attempt to increase teachers’ proficiency from the teachers themselves?
I am witnessing that nowadays teachers continue their study to the next level, for example to bachelor and masters’ degree; however, there is no significant difference in their teaching after they finishing their study…
What do you think about the use of technology? Will it help teachers to increase their own proficiency?
Absolutely! It will help.
Can you please explain more?
For example, at the moment, I am designing material for class 3 based on Standard of
Competence required by the curriculum. The government were only given the competence standard, while the materials should be designed by teachers. With the use of technology, I can compile and download some files and make it as teaching materials for class 3.
What is your definition of technology? 187
For me technology is every attempt that can be used, both hardware and software to help a work. In education, technology can help us to increase our proficiency…or at least help us to ease the teaching and learning process.
Hmm..hmm…do you familiar with the use of?
Yah..
What about languge learning software?
Yeah..
Where do you find the software from? Were they provided by the school?
I am not really expecting the school will provide it. I bought them, and find them myself by downloading them form the Internet for free…
Do you use the software in the class?
Mostly yes. I used them in class such as pictures, especially those that related to the materials that I would teach.
Besides using the pictures…so you use any specific software for teaching he 4 language skills: speaking, listening, reading and writing?
So far I haven’t found those software..
I see…what about the use of Internet? Do you familiar with the use of the Internet? 188
Yes. I do
Do you use in the class to teach English?
No…not yet.
Why? What are the obstacles?
First, the infrastructure is not ready in our school. At the moment, we are still try to make the language lab to be SAS.
Would you please explain more?
We will make the lab as the center for learning, center for information. We will have an internet connection there, so that students can access the teacher materials they need. We are still preparing the proposal, but it can only happen next academic year.
Can you please tell me what you have in your language lab? Do you still have a manual lab? or computer-based lab?
We have three computers in our lab, the rest are booths…that is our old language lab…however, now we try to modify the language lab. We haven’t had long term planning to develop the lab, may be because the principal is still new. In SMK 3, actually the infrastructure is almost ready, we have Internet hot spot in several locations, we only need to maximize its use. The first problem probably because some teachers are not using
Internet themselves actively, most of them are not familiar with technology.
189
Do you have any ideas of why they do not want to use technology in the classroom beside the reason that they do not understand how to use technology?
I think ‘do not want’ was not the right words, because if we let them know they surely want s to know more, but the problems is there is no socialization about the use of information technology in education.
Oh…so, is there no training for teacher provided by their schools or education department?
I think there are some trainings provided by the department of education, but it was not enough.
What about in SMK?
I have no idea..
Why do you think that the training is important?
It is very important. One thing that I learn when I attending the training from Jardiknas
(department of education) is how to design a teaching material using multimedia. I made one file for teaching by using some elements for speaking and listening…Listening comprehension.
So, do you think the training should be conducted continuously? 190
Yes, I think so. I think the training should be continuously done so that teacher will be familiar with the use of technology, I think nowadays it can be considered as the basic needs for teachers to make our education reach the same level as the international education, we have to connect with outside world.
Do you prefer a formal or informal training?
(the interviewee asked me to repeat the question)
What do you think teacher will find most useful when they use technology such as multimedia lab and the internet?
Teacher will find it a lot of easier to teach students using technology. The availability of materials...umm and the students comprehension on the materials will also better because they can get complete information and they can access those information themselves…this will make teaching a lot of easier for teacher because students already have a prior knowledge about the lesson.
And they can have their own control on the things they need..
Yes…
Ok…earlier in this interview you have mentioned about the SAS lab…are there any hope on that?
Fortunately, I was just appointed as the head of the lab about a week ago… 191
Oh yes…congratulation!
The thing that I have done so far is writing a proposal for the multimedia equipment for lab, I have a conversation with the principal about this matter. So far we have only three computers, I have proposes LCD. I also have a plan to make the lab as the center for information because actually it has been provided; we only need to use them.
That’s so unfortunate…
Yes…it has not been used properly. So far when the central government is not really pay attention to the local government, SMK must struggle to provide their own needs.
Are there any computer lab in SMK3?
Yes…
Have you ever used that lab for language teaching?
No…it is use for other subjects…
It is too bad, because actually the computer lab can also be used as the language lab….
So, Good luck with your proposal….ask for more computers with language learning software and the internet access. This will give your students more chances to interact globally and more access to language learning. Not only students but also teachers can have the same opportunity. 192
The first step that I do now is I provide a big speaker in the lab…so that the interaction is between not only teacher and students but also students and students
So, there is no specific software for language learning available. However, what if those facilities will available in the future? Do you think it is important?
Not only important, but it is necessary. It must be provided by the school as the institution that provides education service.
Are you optimistic that this will happen in the future?
We have to try...aaa...the problem should be solved...we have to try to make our students have what they deserve, because it cannot be denied that students nowadays, especially
SMK students are needed in work places and work places need language skill as one requirements.
Right…right… well… it’s really nice to talking to you…I think that’s all.
Thank you.
But while in the process of transcribing this interview and in the process of analyzing the data for example if I found anything that need information or clarification from, is it ok for me to call you?
Yes…It’s ok
193
And then initiate the following interview with you …and is it possible for me to call you because the only access that I can use is maybe a voice call or through the telephone.
Will it be fine with you?
Yes, it will be fine. You can also email.
Thank you so much for your time …I really appreciate that..
You’re welcome.
Appendix E: Summary of Data of the Integration of technology
Teacher 1 Teacher 2 Teacher 4 Teacher 3 Head 1 Faculty 2 Faculty 1 Head 2 Faculty 3
Own Any Tools that Every effort, The use of Technology is Technology is Is tools to help definition of sophisticated would help hardware and LCD a tool. all tools that solving any technology tools, teachers in software to help projector. Technology can be use to human instruments, or learning works. The use should be one help teacher in problems machines process Technology in video tool that can a learning (VCD, education means camera to help to get process, both Cassettes, anything that record things done hardware and LCDs, helps to ease the students software laptops. teaching and activity Computers) learning process Prior Using internet Owns a Computer Familiar with Using Emailing, Presentation. N/A Chatting, experience for emailing laptop. savvy. the use of internet and chatting, Internet for emailing, social with the use and social Familiar Active internet internet and social other form social networking of networking with the use user, but not social networking of social networking of the using it in the networking networking and technology Internet classroom communicatio outside interaction. n classroom Purchase his own software Prior Using Using Using pictures Using None Flash card Using learning N/A Using tape experience Computers and VCDs, related to laptop/comput that prompt software, such recorder, video with the use projectors, PowerPoint. materials. er in class to students to as for of multimedia, (when I So far has not display speak. pronunciation tape recorders, asked what found any pictures. and learning to technology in pictures from kind of specific software Use the sound speak. the the internet, software she for teaching 4 files for Teaching classroom and language used in the language skills. listening learning media lab once in a class, she sections. such as laptop, while answered Ask students LCD and VCDs and to submit sound system. cassettes) assignment Using internet through for students’ email, but writing could not do project. that often Ask students because to make their students have own blog. 195
to pay to use Emailing , and internet. submitting Using video assignment by as a media email once in a while Familiarity/ Somewhat Using Very familiar Somewhat Confidence Very familiar, N/A Very familiar, Level of confident computer, and confident in familiar with and confident and confident and comfort and LCD, using the use of comfortable comfortable comfortable confidence in PowerPoint technology internet. in using in classroom Not familiar technology; using with specific unfortunatel technology Using social software for y such networking, language facilities are email and learning limited chat outside classroom
Problems of 1. The - The Lack in It’s The lack of Limitation Unpredictable Human No technician implementin availability availabilit infrastructure. expensive. human is facilities. problems such resources. available, while g technology of y of He thought that It is not resources that Only as trouble Teacher is also teachers does technology technolog unfamiliarity provided for understand manual lab shooting, a technician. not have their and y (no with the use of free in school. and able to is available. electricity Teacher over own ability to maintenance language technology use Computer (power out). 50’s don’t want operate the 2. Management lab) . made other technology lab is used to learn the use equipment in - Computer teachers only for Think that of technology laboratory. lab is reluctant to use learning other teacher and reluctant to No response available technology in computer who does not use technology from the not for teaching. not use technology in the authority language language because of : classroom. (kepala bagian) learning learning. Not enough Budgetting for - Budget computer English - Other literacy; and learning is importanc the mind set, limited, the e priorities they haven’t technology is other than come to the not affordable. language conclusion that The technology learning technology is is available, but important to the level of use in the usage is very classroom low
196
Perspective • Technology • Think that Technology can Using Believe the Technology Technology It is important The use of towards the can help technolog help to increase technology importance of can actually helps to because: technology in use of reduce y is teachers’ own helps to the use of improve improve Motivate classroom is technology in teacher’s important. proficiency. provide technology. both language a students. important for workload Think that teaching Providing students and ability, Increase helping the language • such as technolog Think that materials. any teachers’ especially in teachers’ instructions. teaching grading y can help technology is Help to affordable ability and communicatio credibility It motivate • Technology teacher to important that he motivate technology knowledge n students to can help to give more doesn’t need to students. equipment by browsing learn. find for wait for the Simplify the for the new teaching students school to instructions school. materials or materials provide them. and test Emphasizing share the • Technology He provides that the syllabus. can help for them himself inability of Students assessing human will also be language resource able to skills become the access their major work problem of the implementati on of technology in school Perspective Believe that in Believe that Preparing Very Hope that Think that the It is a must. on the future 5 years MTs technology proposal for an optimistic there will be growing Because, it is use of will have will make internet-based with the use technology- numbers of one of the technology certain teachers language of technology based interest in the policy right facilities that more learning. in the future. facilities in use of now. Teachers will support successful Very optimistic Teacher are the technology should have the school’s especially that in the future obliged to classroom will affect the their own proposal to for the the use of have their where number of computer/laptop becoming one students’ technology will own personal students can technology use and use them in of outcome be inevitable computer/ be aided by in classroom the classroom. International- laptop technology standardized facilities, schools in especially in Gorontalo the laboratory (Computer- 197
based laboratory) Availability Not enough Most Old lab, only has Computer lab Computer lab In the Availability Internet access of budget for teachers 3 computers, no is available Multimedia department: and access are is available in technology providing own laptops. internet access only for room one LCD not a problem. all junior technology No language engineering 8 computers and one Personally schools and equipment lab. not for in library laptop. It is have 24 secondary language All with the mobile; accesses to the schools learning internet teacher who internet. access wishes to Own specific use them equipments can bring and learning them into software the classroom. Manual language lab. Budgeting No Budgeting Do not know Principal The No specific Not a problem The budget for Not sure. and maintenance for a much about that. promise to technology budget for personally internet access maintenance budget language lab The principal is provide a equipment s providing is from is not a the one who computer- in MTs is technology Jardiknas priority knows about the based provided by in the budget, but as language lab, the Religion department the head of the but it has not Department. as the language lab, he come to Mts can be budget is was proposing reality yet categorized decided by an internet- (February as work unit; the college based language 2010). therefore, and lab. The result There are they have an university. will depend other autonomy to upon the priorities that plan their approval of the considered own budget principal more for teacher important salary, supply than and providing maintenance technology Availability Very limited N/A N/A and amount of budgeting for budget for providing 198 technology technology equipments for the in UNG Availability N/A Not enough N/A and Not sure access to the budgeting for use of maintenance technology in UNG Training - MGMP Believe that Training is N/A Training is N/A Continuous - Trainings training is important, as needed training is in and out important most of the continually. important, but it of town Prefers teachers who are There’s no is all depend on informal not using special the budge. training. technology are budget in The budget is The reasons due to their lack DIPA, provided but it is in the of knowledge on however, he is not as transcription the use of still send expected technology. teacher in some places Prefers informal for training if training, because it still in it’s pressure free affordable budget